Key Chinese Legal Terms with Pinyin and Definitions

This glossary defines essential Chinese legal terms with pinyin romanization and contextual explanations for legal practitioners, scholars, and students working with Chinese law.

法律 (fǎlǜ) — Law. A norm enacted by the National People’s Congress or its Standing Committee. Chinese law distinguishes between fǎlǜ (formal statutes enacted by the legislature) and fǎguī (regulations enacted by the executive). Only the NPC and its Standing Committee may enact fǎlǜ, which form the highest level of written law below the Constitution.

法治 (fǎzhì) — Rule of law. The principle of governing the country according to law, as distinct from rénzhì (rule of man). The 1999 constitutional amendment elevated fǎzhì to a constitutional principle. “Socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics” emphasizes law as an instrument of governance under Party leadership.

依法治国 (yīfǎ zhìguó) — Governing the country according to law. The constitutional principle adopted in 1999 as a basic strategy of governance. It encompasses legislation, law enforcement, judicature, and law-abiding awareness across all sectors of society. President Xi Jinping has emphasized “comprehensively governing the country according to law” as a central pillar of governance.

宪法 (xiànfǎ) — Constitution. The supreme legal document of the PRC, adopted in 1982 and amended in 1988, 1993, 1999, 2004, and 2018. The current constitution establishes the political system, fundamental rights, and state structure. It includes a preamble that is legally binding and contains the guiding principles of the Chinese Communist Party.

民法 (mínfǎ) — Civil law. The body of law governing private relations between persons, including contracts, torts, property, family, and inheritance. Chinese civil law is now unified under the Civil Code, and the term mínfǎ refers both to the historical field and the current codified system.

民法典 (mínfǎ diǎn) — Civil Code. The unified codification of Chinese civil law, effective January 1, 2021. It comprises seven books: General Provisions, Property Rights, Contracts, Personality Rights, Marriage and Family, Succession, and Tort Liability. The Code replaced nine separate laws and contains 1,260 articles, making it one of the world’s most comprehensive civil codes.

刑法 (xíngfǎ) — Criminal law. The codification of offenses and penalties, adopted in 1979 and substantially revised in 1997. The 1997 revision abolished the crime of counter-revolution, replacing it with crimes endangering national security, and codified the principle of legality (nullum crimen sine lege). The Criminal Law now contains over 470 articles covering ten categories of crime.

合同法 (hétong fǎ) — Contract law. Formerly a separate law (1999), now incorporated into Book III of the Civil Code. Chinese contract law follows civil law traditions with specific provisions for 19 named contract types plus general provisions applicable to all contracts. The Civil Code preserved the structure and principles of the original Contract Law while adding rules on electronic contracts and personality rights implications.

物权法 (wùquán fǎ) — Property law. Governs ownership, usufruct, and security interests in property. Enacted in 2007 as a separate law, now Book II of the Civil Code. The Property Law established a unified system of real property rights, distinguishing state ownership, collective ownership, and private ownership, with equal protection for all forms of lawful property.

侵权责任法 (qīnquán zérèn fǎ) — Tort liability law. The law governing civil liability for wrongful conduct causing harm, enacted in 2009 and now Book VII of the Civil Code. It establishes general principles of fault-based liability, strict liability for specific activities, and detailed rules for product liability, medical malpractice, traffic accidents, and environmental harm.

公司法 (gōngsī fǎ) — Company Law. Governs the establishment, organization, and operation of companies. Enacted in 1993 and substantially amended in 2005, 2013, and 2023. The 2023 amendments streamlined capital contribution requirements, strengthened shareholder rights, and enhanced corporate governance, particularly for state-owned enterprises.

诉讼法 (sùsòng fǎ) — Procedural law. The body of law governing court procedures. Includes the Civil Procedure Law (1991, amended 2007/2012/2017/2021), Criminal Procedure Law (1979, amended 1996/2012/2018), and Administrative Procedure Law (1989, amended 2014/2017). Each establishes jurisdiction, filing procedures, trial conduct, evidence rules, and appeal mechanisms.

最高人民法院 (zuìgāo rénmín fǎyuàn) — Supreme People’s Court (SPC). The highest judicial organ in China, exercising appellate jurisdiction and issuing judicial interpretations that guide all lower courts. The SPC supervises the administration of justice by lower people’s courts and reports to the National People’s Congress. Its judicial interpretations have binding legal force.

最高人民检察院 (zuìgāo rénmín jiǎncháyuàn) — Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP). The highest prosecutorial and legal supervision organ. The SPP approves arrests, prosecutes crimes, supervises investigations and trials, and exercises legal oversight of state agencies. It has been a primary driver of criminal procedure reform.

人民法院 (rénmín fǎyuàn) — People’s court. Courts at all levels in the Chinese judicial system: basic (county), intermediate (municipal), higher (provincial), and the Supreme People’s Court. People’s courts exercise judicial power on behalf of the state, conducting trials in civil, criminal, and administrative cases.

人民检察院 (rénmín jiǎncháyuàn) — People’s procuratorate. Prosecutorial organs at all levels corresponding to the court hierarchy. Procuratorates exercise the power of arrest approval, prosecution, and legal supervision. They also investigate specific categories of crimes, including duty-related offenses.

律师 (lǜshī) — Lawyer. A licensed legal professional authorized to provide legal services including litigation representation, legal advice, and document drafting. Lawyers must pass the national unified legal professional qualification examination and register with the Ministry of Justice. The number of lawyers in China exceeded 700,000 in 2025.

法人 (fǎrén) — Legal person. An organization with independent legal personality, capable of enjoying civil rights and undertaking civil obligations. Categories include for-profit legal persons (companies), non-profit legal persons (social organizations, foundations), and special legal persons (government agencies, village committees).

自然人 (zìránrén) — Natural person. A human being with legal personality. Natural persons enjoy civil capacity from birth (with certain rights from conception in inheritance matters) and full civil capacity from age 18. The Civil Code recognizes capacity gradations for minors and persons with mental disabilities.

合同 (hétong) — Contract. An agreement between equal parties establishing, modifying, or terminating civil rights and duties. Contracts may be oral, written, or in other forms unless law requires writing. The Civil Code provides detailed rules on contract formation, validity, performance, breach, and remedies.

所有权 (suǒyǒuquán) — Ownership. The right to possess, use, benefit from, and dispose of property in accordance with law. Chinese law recognizes state ownership, collective ownership, and private ownership. All forms enjoy equal legal protection, though state ownership of land and natural resources remains fundamental.

人格权 (réngéquán) — Personality rights. A distinctive feature of the Civil Code (Book IV) protecting the rights inherent to personhood, including the right to life, body, health, name, image, reputation, honor, privacy, and personal data. Book IV was the first time personality rights were codified as a separate book in any civil code.

知识产权 (zhīshi chǎnquán) — Intellectual property rights. Rights protecting creations of the mind, including copyright (著作权), patents (专利权), and trademarks (商标权). China has comprehensive IP laws and specialized IP courts, though enforcement has historically been inconsistent. Recent reforms have strengthened damages and criminal penalties for infringement.

仲裁 (zhòngcái) — Arbitration. Alternative dispute resolution outside courts, governed by the Arbitration Law (1994). The China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) is the primary international arbitration institution. Arbitral awards are final and binding, enforceable through courts.

调解 (tiáojiě) — Mediation. Consensual dispute resolution facilitated by a neutral third party. People’s mediation (人民调解) is a distinctive Chinese institution where community mediators resolve disputes without formal legal procedures. Court mediation, administrative mediation, and commercial mediation are also widely practiced.

司法解释 (sīfǎ jiěshì) — Judicial interpretation. Binding interpretations of law issued by the Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate. Judicial interpretations fill gaps in legislation and guide uniform application. They have the force of law in practice and are published in the Supreme People’s Court Gazette.

死刑 (sǐxíng) — Death penalty. Capital punishment, applicable to the most serious crimes. All death sentences are subject to mandatory review by the Supreme People’s Court. A uniquely Chinese innovation is the death sentence with a two-year suspension (死缓, sǐhuǎn), which is typically commuted to life imprisonment if the offender does not commit further crimes.

国家监察委员会 (guójiā jiānchá wěiyuánhuì) — National Supervision Commission (NSC). Anti-corruption agency established by the 2018 constitutional amendments, consolidating anti-corruption powers previously dispersed across party discipline inspection commissions and government supervisory agencies. The NSC investigates duty-related crimes for all public officials.

改革开放 (gǎigé kāifàng) — Reform and opening up. Deng Xiaoping’s policy initiated in 1978 that transformed China’s economy from central planning to market orientation and opened China to foreign investment. This policy was the catalyst for the development of China’s modern legal system, as economic reform required commercial law, contract enforcement, and legal predictability.

一国两制 (yī guó liǎng zhì) — One country, two systems. The constitutional principle governing Hong Kong and Macao, allowing them to maintain separate legal systems (common law for Hong Kong, Portuguese civil law for Macao) while being part of China. The principle has faced severe strain following the 2019 Hong Kong protests and subsequent national security legislation.

人民代表大会 (rénmín dàibiǎo dàhuì) — People’s Congress. The fundamental political institution of China, comprising the National People’s Congress (NPC) and local people’s congresses at all levels. The NPC is the highest state authority, exercising legislative power, approving the budget, and electing state leaders.

中国共产党 (zhōngguó gòngchǎndǎng) — Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The ruling party of China. The Constitution recognizes the CCP’s leadership role, and Party committees exist within all courts and procuratorates. The Party guides legal policy through the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission (中央政法委员会, zhōngyāng zhèngfǎ wěiyuánhuì) and influences judicial decisions in politically sensitive cases.

劳动法 (láodòng fǎ) — Labor law. Governs employment relationships, including contract formation, working hours, minimum wage, and termination. The Labor Contract Law (2008) strengthened employee protections by requiring written contracts and limiting fixed-term employment. Labor dispute resolution involves mediation, arbitration, and litigation.

反垄断法 (fǎn lǒngduàn fǎ) — Anti-monopoly law. Enacted in 2008 and substantially amended in 2022, regulating monopoly agreements, abuse of market dominance, and concentrations. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) enforces competition law. The 2022 amendments introduced a “safe harbor” for vertical agreements and strengthened digital economy regulation.

环境保护法 (huánjìng bǎohù fǎ) — Environmental Protection Law. The framework environmental statute, enacted in 1989 and comprehensively revised in 2014. The revised law introduced daily penalties for violations, environmental public interest litigation, and stronger enforcement powers. China has developed extensive environmental law including the Air Pollution Prevention Law, Water Pollution Prevention Law, and Soil Pollution Prevention Law.

行政许可法 (xíngzhèng xǔkě fǎ) — Administrative许可 Law. Enacted in 2003, establishing uniform principles for administrative licensing approvals. The Law requires that administrative许可 be based on law, limited to matters affecting public safety or resources, and subject to transparency and reasonableness requirements. The Law has been central to administrative reform and deregulation.

行政处罚法 (xíngzhèng chǔfá fǎ) — Administrative Penalties Law. Governs the imposition of administrative sanctions, including fines, confiscation, suspension of business, and license revocation. The 2021 revision strengthened procedural protections by requiring written notices, hearing opportunities for significant penalties, and limiting local governments’ ability to impose arbitrary fines.

民法典基本原则 (mínfǎ diǎn jīběn yuánzé) — Basic principles of the Civil Code: equality (平等), voluntariness (自愿), fairness (公平), good faith (诚信), public order and good customs (公序良俗), and green development (绿色). These principles guide interpretation and application of all civil law provisions.

中国法治道路 (zhōngguó fǎzhì dàolù) — Chinese path of rule of law. The official formulation of China’s distinctive legal development model, emphasizing Party leadership, socialist legal system, and integration of Chinese traditional culture with modern law. This concept contrasts with Western liberal rule of law models and asserts Chinese legal exceptionalism.