'Lawyer' is a compound noun formed from two characters: 律 (lǜ), meaning 'law', 'statute', or 'regulation', and 师 (shī), meaning 'teacher', 'master', or 'expert'. Together, they literally mean 'master of law'—a person professionally trained and licensed to advise on, interpret, and represent others in legal matters. This term is used formally across mainland China, Taiwan, and other Mandarin-speaking regions.

In everyday usage, 律师 refers specifically to qualified legal practitioners who can appear in court, draft contracts, provide legal counsel, or handle litigation. It is not used for paralegals or law students; those require additional qualifiers (e.g., 实习律师 for 'trainee lawyer'). The word carries professional respect and implies formal certification—typically requiring passage of the National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination in China.