专业 (zhuānyè) is a noun meaning 'major' (as in an academic field of study) or 'profession' (a specialized occupation requiring formal training). The character 专 (zhuān) means 'specialized' or 'focused', and 业 (yè) means 'field', 'occupation', or 'enterprise'. Together, they convey the idea of a dedicated area of expertise—whether pursued in university (e.g., computer science major) or practiced professionally (e.g., medicine as a profession). It’s commonly used in educational, workplace, and formal contexts.

The word carries a tone of seriousness and competence; calling someone 专业人士 (zhuānyè rénshì) means 'a professional'—someone with recognized expertise. Unlike colloquial terms like 行业 (hángyè, 'industry'), 专业 emphasizes individual qualification and depth of knowledge. It can also function attributively, as in 专业技能 (zhuānyè jìnéng, 'professional skills'). While often neutral, it may imply formality or distance in casual speech.