Chinese Legal Terms E-K with Pinyin and Definitions
This glossary defines essential Chinese legal terms with pinyin romanization from E through K, organized alphabetically by pinyin.
E
Ertong (儿童) — Child; children. The protection of children’s rights is governed by the Law on the Protection of Minors (未成年人保护法, wèichéngniánrén bǎohù fǎ, revised 2020) and the Law on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (预防未成年人犯罪法, yùfáng wèichéngniánrén fànzuì fǎ). The Civil Code sets the age of majority at 18 and establishes capacity gradations for minors. The 2020 revisions strengthened protections against child abuse, bullying, and online exploitation, and clarified the responsibilities of families, schools, and social organizations.
F
Fachuan (发传) — Service of process; issuance of summons. The act of formally delivering court documents, including the complaint and summons, to a defendant to notify them of legal proceedings. Chinese civil procedure provides for direct service (直接送达, zhíjiē sòngdá), service by mail (邮寄送达, yóujì sòngdá), service by leaving documents at the address (留置送达, liúzhì sòngdá), service by publication (公告送达, gōnggào sòngdá), and electronic service (电子送达, diànzǐ sòngdá). The 2021 amendments to the Civil Procedure Law expanded electronic service options.
Faguan (法官) — Judge. A judicial officer of a people’s court exercising the power of adjudication. Judges are appointed by the standing committee of the people’s congress at the corresponding level. The Judges Law (法官法, 1995, revised 2017 and 2019) establishes qualifications, appointment procedures, duties, and disciplinary standards. The 2019 revision introduced a centralized examination system and strengthened judicial accountability (司法责任制, sīfǎ zérèn zhì). Judge selection has become more rigorous, requiring passage of the national legal professional qualification examination and completion of judicial training. The number of judges in China has been reduced through the 2015-2017 judicial personnel reform, which selected the most qualified judges through a rigorous evaluation process.
Fali (法理) — Legal theory; jurisprudence; principles of law. The fundamental principles and theoretical foundations of law, used by courts as a supplementary source when statutory law is silent or ambiguous. The Civil Code explicitly recognizes fǎlǐ as a gap-filling source: where no applicable provision exists, courts may apply customary law; in the absence of custom, courts may apply fǎlǐ (Article 10). This codification of fǎlǐ as a source of law was a significant development in Chinese jurisprudence.
Falü (法律) — Law; statute. Formal written law enacted by the National People’s Congress or its Standing Committee. The term is the most general term for codified law but technically refers only to legislation at the national level. Chinese legal hierarchy distinguishes between: the Constitution (宪法, xiànfǎ), laws (法律, fǎlǜ) enacted by the NPC and its Standing Committee, administrative regulations (行政法规, xíngzhèng fǎguī) issued by the State Council, local regulations (地方性法规, dìfāng xìng fǎguī) issued by local people’s congresses, and rules (规章, guīzhāng) issued by ministries and local governments. Only the term fǎlǜ carries the strict meaning of formal legislative enactment.
Fan (犯) — To commit a crime; criminal; violate. A core term in criminal law appearing in compounds such as fànrén (犯人, criminal), fànzuì (犯罪, crime), fànfǎ (犯法, violate the law), and xiányí fàn (犯罪嫌疑人, criminal suspect). The term carries strong moral condemnation in Chinese legal culture. The Criminal Law codifies offenses under the principle of legality (罪刑法定, zuìxíng fǎdìng), meaning that conduct constitutes a crime only if explicitly criminalized by law.
Fang’an (方案) — Plan; scheme; proposal. In legal practice, fāng’àn commonly refers to legislative plans (立法方案, lìfǎ fāng’àn), mediation proposals (调解方案, tiáojiě fāng’àn), and case-handling plans (办案方案, bàn’àn fāng’àn). Courts may propose mediation fāng’àn to parties, who may accept or reject them. The term is also used in administrative law to describe government action plans and regulatory proposals.
Fangchan (房产) — Real property; real estate. Property consisting of land and buildings. The Civil Code and the Property Law establish that urban land is owned by the state while rural land is collectively owned; individuals may hold use rights (土地使用权, tǔdì shǐyòngquán) for fixed terms. Residential land use rights are granted for 70 years, commercial for 40 years, and industrial for 50 years. The 2020 Civil Code provided that residential land use rights automatically renew upon expiration.
Fankong (反恐) — Counter-terrorism. Governed by the Counter-Terrorism Law (反恐怖主义法, fǎn kǒngbù zhǔyì fǎ, 2015, revised 2018). The Law defines terrorist activities broadly, establishes special investigative powers, creates a national counter-terrorism leadership body, and imposes obligations on Internet service providers to assist counter-terrorism investigations. The Law has been criticized for expansive definitions and weakened procedural safeguards.
Fanshen (翻身) — Liberation; turning over. A political term from the revolutionary period referring to the liberation of peasants and workers from feudal and capitalist oppression. While primarily political rather than legal in nature, the concept influenced early PRC legal development and the establishment of the people’s court system. The term retains historical significance in Chinese legal discourse about the relationship between revolution and law.
Fantan (反贪) — Anti-corruption; anti-graft. The campaign against corruption, a central priority of the Xi Jinping administration. The establishment of the National Supervision Commission (国家监察委员会, guójiā jiānchá wěiyuánhuì) in 2018 through constitutional amendment created a powerful anti-corruption agency parallel to the government, courts, and procuratorate. The Supervision Law (监察法, 2018) grants the NSC broad investigatory powers, including留置 (detention for investigation) for up to six months without judicial oversight. The anti-corruption campaign has prosecuted millions of officials since 2012.
Fazhi (法治) — Rule of law. The principle that the state shall be governed according to law, elevated to a constitutional principle in the 1999 amendment. Fǎzhì is distinguished from rénzhì (人治, rule of man) and represents a fundamental shift in Chinese governance. The concept is officially formulated as “socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics” (中国特色社会主义法治, zhōngguó tèsè shèhuì zhǔyì fǎzhì), which emphasizes Party leadership and the instrumental role of law in governance.
Fazhi Zhuyi (法治主义) — Legalism; rule-of-law doctrine. A term used in Chinese legal philosophy to describe the doctrine that law should be the supreme governing authority. The term appears in academic debates about the nature of Chinese constitutionalism and the relationship between law and political power. Some scholars distinguish fǎzhì zhǔyì from Western rule-of-law concepts by emphasizing its compatibility with Party leadership and socialist values.
G
Gong’an (公安) — Public security. Refers to the public security organs (公安机关, gōng’ān jīguān), China’s police force. The public security organs are responsible for criminal investigation, public order maintenance, traffic management, household registration, and exit-entry administration. The term gōng’ān appears in the Public Security Administration Punishments Law (治安管理处罚法, zhì’ān guǎnlǐ chǔfá fǎ) and the People’s Police Law (人民警察法, rénmín jǐngchá fǎ). Public security organs are organized at national, provincial, municipal, and county levels.
Gongmin (公民) — Citizen. A person who holds nationality of the People’s Republic of China. The Constitution (Chapter II) enumerates the fundamental rights and duties of citizens. Citizenship is governed by the Nationality Law (国籍法, guójí fǎ, 1980), which follows the principle of jus sanguinis with limited jus soli. Chinese law does not recognize dual citizenship; persons who acquire foreign nationality automatically lose Chinese citizenship.
Gongsi (公司) — Company; corporation. A business entity with independent legal personality. Governed by the Company Law (公司法, gōngsī fǎ, 1993, substantially amended 2005, 2013, 2023). The Company Law recognizes two principal forms: the limited liability company (有限责任公司, yǒuxiàn zérèn gōngsī) and the joint stock limited company (股份有限公司, gǔfèn yǒuxiàn gōngsī). The 2023 amendments streamlined capital requirements, enhanced shareholder derivative actions, and strengthened corporate governance, particularly for state-owned enterprises.
Guifan (规范) — Norm; standard; rule. Refers to legal norms, regulatory standards, and behavioral rules. The term appears in legal theory discussions of legal norms (法律规范, fǎlǜ guīfàn) and in regulatory contexts such as product quality standards (产品质量规范, chǎnpǐn zhìliàng guīfàn). Guīfàn xìng wénjiàn (规范性文件) refers to normative documents below the level of formal legislation that have binding effect.
Guojia (国家) — State; nation; country. The fundamental political entity in Chinese constitutional law. The Constitution declares China a “socialist state” (社会主义国家, shèhuì zhǔyì guójiā) under the people’s democratic dictatorship. The term appears throughout Chinese law in contexts including state organs (国家机关, guójiā jīguān), state property (国家财产, guójiā cáichǎn), state secrets (国家秘密, guójiā mìmì), and state compensation (国家赔偿, guójiā péicháng).
J
Jiancha (检查) — Inspection; examination. The act of reviewing compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. While similar in pronunciation to jiǎnchá (检察, prosecution), jiǎnchá (检查) has distinct characters and meaning. Administrative agencies conduct inspections to verify compliance with regulations, and the term appears in product safety, environmental protection, and workplace safety contexts. Inspection results may lead to administrative penalties or corrective orders.
Jianchayuan (检察院) — People’s Procuratorate. The prosecutorial and legal supervision organ in China, organized at four levels corresponding to the court hierarchy. Procuratorates exercise the power of arrest approval, criminal prosecution, and legal supervision over investigations, trials, and imprisonment. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate (最高人民检察院, zuìgāo rénmín jiǎncháyuàn) oversees the system. Procuratorates also handle public interest litigation (公益诉讼, gōngyì sùsòng) in environmental and consumer protection matters.
Jianli (建立) — To establish; to create. A general legal term used in reference to the establishment of legal relationships, institutions, or systems. For example, jiànlì fǎlǜ guānxì (建立法律关系, establishment of legal relationship) and jiànlì zhìdù (建立制度, establishment of a system). The term appears in legislative texts and legal documents to describe the creation of rights, obligations, or institutional frameworks.
Jianshe (建设) — Construction; development; building. A term widely used in Chinese political and legal discourse, particularly in the phrase fǎzhì jiànshè (法治建设, construction of rule of law), which describes the ongoing process of legal system development. Shèhuì zhǔyì xiàndài huà jiànshè (社会主义现代化建设, socialist modernization construction) links legal development to broader national goals.
Jiedu (解读) — Interpretation; analysis. The act of interpreting legal texts, judicial decisions, or policy documents. Legal scholars and practitioners frequently publish jiědú of new laws, Supreme People’s Court judicial interpretations, and guiding cases. The term suggests explanatory analysis rather than the binding interpretation (解释, jiěshì) issued by the SPC or SPP.
K
Kaifang (开放) — Opening; openness. Most famously associated with the Reform and Opening Up policy (改革开放, gǎigé kāifàng) initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1978. In contemporary legal context, kāifàng appears in discussions of data openness (数据开放, shùjù kāifàng), government transparency, and foreign investment liberalization. The Foreign Investment Law (外商投资法, 2019) established a system of pre-establishment national treatment with a negative list.
Kua (跨) — Cross; trans-; spanning. A prefix used in legal contexts to describe matters crossing jurisdictional boundaries, such as kuà shěng (跨省, cross-provincial), kuà guó (跨国, transnational), and kuà qū (跨区, cross-district). The Supreme People’s Court established跨行政区划 courts (cross-administrative division courts) in 2014 to address local protectionism. Transnational legal matters are governed by China’s private international law rules.
Kuaiji (会计) — Accounting; accountant. The accounting profession is governed by the Accounting Law (会计法, kuàijì fǎ, 1985, revised multiple times) and the Certified Public Accountants Law (注册会计师法, zhùcè kuàijì shī fǎ). The Ministry of Finance oversees accounting standards, and the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CICPA) regulates the profession. Forensic accounting and financial investigation play growing roles in anti-corruption and commercial litigation.