HONG KONG, Jan 30 — Hong Kong’s undisputed king of cinematic combat has a brand-new title — and this time it doesn’t come from a movie script. 

Donnie Yen, the 62-year-old action legend behind some of the most bone-crunching, era-defining martial arts films ever made, has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by Hong Kong’s Lingnan University.

According to CNA, the accolade was presented on Monday at the university’s Doctorate Conferment Ceremony, where Yen stood shoulder-to-shoulder with five other distinguished recipients. 

In its citation, the university hailed him as a “legendary figure” whose decades of work have left an “indelible mark” on both cinema and national culture.

The tribute singled out the global impact of the Ip Man franchise — described as a “cultural phenomenon” — as well as Yen’s long career as a Hollywood action choreographer and his commitment to humanitarian causes. 

Yen seemed just as moved. 

Sharing snapshots of the ceremony on Instagram a day later — flanked by his wife Cissy Wang, 44, and daughter Jasmine, who recently celebrated her 22nd birthday — he offered a reflection worthy of a wuxia sage.

“My classroom was never four walls — it was built scene by scene. Every role, a lesson,” he wrote. 

“To be honoured with a Doctorate of Humanities by @LingnanUniversity is a powerful validation: storytelling is artistic scholarship in its purest form.”

He also paid tribute to everyone who has backed him through four decades of martial arts mastery and movie-making: “This moment is yours, too.” 

Calling himself “deeply honoured and humbled,” Yen noted he was proud to be recognised alongside five other “remarkable” honourees.

For fans, it’s yet another milestone for a man whose career has ricocheted from Hong Kong classics like Iron Monkey (1993), Hero (2002), Kill Zone (SPL) (2005) and Raging Fire (2021), to global blockbusters including Blade II (2002), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Mulan (2020) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).

And he’s not slowing down. Yen is preparing to step back into the shoes — and sunglasses — of blind assassin Caine in a standalone John Wick spinoff, which begins production later this year. 

His latest work, The Prosecutor (2024), saw him directing and co-producing as well as starring — proof that “Doctor Yen” remains as hands-on as ever.

For now, though, fans are savouring the sight of their action hero in robes instead of robes-of-Jing Mo. The verdict online?

Master Donnie has officially unlocked a new achievement — Doctor of Humanities — and it’s about time.