guānsi: 官司 - Lawsuit, Legal Dispute

• Keywords: 官司, guansi, meaning of guansi, Chinese for lawsuit, legal dispute in China, 打官司, da guansi, Chinese legal terms, getting sued in China, how to say lawsuit in Chinese.
• Summary: Learn the meaning and cultural significance of 官司 (guānsi), the common Chinese word for “lawsuit” or “legal dispute.” This guide breaks down the characters 官 (official) and 司 (manage), explains the term's negative connotation in Chinese culture, and provides 10 practical example sentences. Discover how 官司 (guānsi) differs from the neutral English word “lawsuit” and learn related legal vocabulary to navigate formal conflicts in China.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): guānsi
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 5
• Concise Definition: A lawsuit; a legal case or dispute.
• In a Nutshell: 官司 (guānsi) is the everyday word for a lawsuit, but it's packed with a negative feeling of “trouble.” While in English a “lawsuit” can be a neutral tool, a 官司 (guānsi) is something you get dragged into or are burdened with. It implies stress, broken relationships, and a major hassle, reflecting a traditional cultural preference for harmony over open conflict.

• 官 (guān): This character means “official” or “government.” Think of it as representing the authority of the state.
• 司 (sī): This character means “to manage,” “to be in charge of,” or a “department.”
• When combined, 官司 (guānsi) literally means “official management” or “government's business.” Historically, the primary “business” that common people had with government officials involved legal disputes and judgments. Over time, the term narrowed to refer specifically to these legal entanglements, retaining its serious, official, and often burdensome flavor.

In traditional Chinese culture, maintaining social harmony (和谐, héxié) is paramount. Resolving disputes through mediation, personal connections (关系, guānxi), or mutual compromise was always the preferred method. To bring a matter to court, or 打官司 (dǎ guānsi), was seen as a last resort and a sign that relationships had completely failed. It was considered confrontational, expensive, and a way to lose “face” (面子, miànzi) for all parties involved, regardless of the outcome. This contrasts sharply with a more litigious culture, like that of the United States, where filing a lawsuit is often viewed as a standard and impersonal procedure for asserting one's rights. The English word “lawsuit” is a neutral, procedural term. 官司 (guānsi), on the other hand, is emotionally and culturally loaded. It carries the implicit weight of “a serious problem with the authorities,” making it a word that people hope to never have to use to describe their own lives. While modern China has a rapidly developing legal system and people are more willing to go to court, this underlying cultural aversion to open, formal conflict still influences the term's negative connotation.

官司 (guānsi) is almost always used in a negative context. It's not a goal; it's a problem to be solved or, preferably, avoided.

• Common Collocation: The most common way to use 官司 (guānsi) is with the verb 打 (dǎ), which means “to fight” or “to play.” The phrase 打官司 (dǎ guānsi) means “to file a lawsuit,” “to go to court,” or “to be engaged in a lawsuit.”
• Connotation: The term implies a long, draining, and stressful process. When someone says they are involved in a 官司 (guānsi), the listener's natural reaction is one of sympathy, not congratulations. It's used for all kinds of legal disputes, from a messy divorce to a major corporate intellectual property battle.

• Example 1:
  • 为了争夺房产，他们兄弟俩打了好几年的官司。
  • Pinyin: Wèile zhēngduó fángchǎn, tāmen xiōngdì liǎ dǎle hǎojǐ nián de guānsi.
  • English: The two brothers were in a lawsuit for several years to fight over the property.
  • Analysis: This example highlights a common scenario (family property dispute) and the idea that a 官司 can be a long, drawn-out affair.
• Example 2:
  • 这家公司因为产品质量问题惹上了官司。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngsī yīnwèi chǎnpǐn zhìliàng wèntí rě shàngle guānsi.
  • English: This company got into a lawsuit because of product quality issues.
  • Analysis: The verb phrase `惹上 (rě shàng)` means “to provoke” or “to get into (trouble).” It perfectly captures the negative feeling of unwillingly becoming entangled in a 官司.
• Example 3:
  • 我不想把事情闹大，我们还是私下和解，不要打官司了。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ bùxiǎng bǎ shìqíng nào dà, wǒmen háishì sīxià héjiě, bùyào dǎ guānsi le.
  • English: I don't want to blow this out of proportion. Let's settle it privately and not go to court.
  • Analysis: This sentence clearly shows the cultural preference for avoiding a 官司 in favor of a private settlement (私下和解, sīxià héjiě).
• Example 4:
  • 打官司既费钱又费时间，真是得不偿失。
  • Pinyin: Dǎ guānsi jì fèi qián yòu fèi shíjiān, zhēnshi débùchángshī.
  • English: Going to court costs both money and time; it's really not worth the trouble.
  • Analysis: `得不偿失 (débùchángshī)` is a common idiom meaning “the gains don't outweigh the losses.” It's often used to describe the feeling about lawsuits.
• Example 5:
  • 他聘请了城里最好的律师来帮他打这场官司。
  • Pinyin: Tā pìnqǐngle chéng lǐ zuì hǎo de lǜshī lái bāng tā dǎ zhè chǎng guānsi.
  • English: He hired the best lawyer in the city to help him with this lawsuit.
  • Analysis: Shows the practical step one takes when a 官司 is unavoidable. The measure word for `官司` here is `场 (chǎng)`, often used for events or performances.
• Example 6:
  • 这场离婚官司对孩子们造成了很大的伤害。
  • Pinyin: Zhè chǎng líhūn guānsi duì háizimen zàochéngle hěn dà de shānghài.
  • English: This divorce lawsuit caused great harm to the children.
  • Analysis: Here, 官司 is modified by `离婚 (líhūn)` to specify the type of lawsuit. It emphasizes the negative consequences.
• Example 7:
  • 经过漫长的审理，他终于打赢了这场官司。
  • Pinyin: Jīngguò màncháng de shěnlǐ, tā zhōngyú dǎ yíngle zhè chǎng guānsi.
  • English: After a long trial, he finally won the lawsuit.
  • Analysis: `打赢 (dǎ yíng)` means “to win (a fight/game/lawsuit).” Even winning is portrayed as the end of a long, difficult process (`漫长的审理`).
• Example 8:
  • 你如果没有确凿的证据，这场官司很难赢。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ rúguǒ méiyǒu quèzuò de zhèngjù, zhè chǎng guānsi hěn nán yíng.
  • English: If you don't have solid evidence, this lawsuit will be very difficult to win.
  • Analysis: A practical piece of advice, linking the concept of 官司 with the need for evidence (`证据`).
• Example 9:
  • 我们公司不怕打官司，我们有专业的法律团队。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen gōngsī bùpà dǎ guānsi, wǒmen yǒu zhuānyè de fǎlǜ tuánduì.
  • English: Our company is not afraid of lawsuits; we have a professional legal team.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates a more modern, confident attitude, especially in a business context, though the underlying idea is still about facing a challenge.
• Example 10:
  • 他因为一场小小的邻里纠纷，结果陷入了一场旷日持久的官司。
  • Pinyin: Tā yīnwèi yī chǎng xiǎo xiǎo de línlǐ jiūfēn, jiéguǒ xiànrùle yī chǎng kuàngrìchíjiǔ de guānsi.
  • English: Because of a small neighborhood dispute, he ended up getting trapped in a protracted lawsuit.
  • Analysis: The adjective `旷日持久 (kuàngrìchíjiǔ)` means “prolonged” or “long and drawn-out,” reinforcing the exhausting nature of a 官司.

• Don't use it for general “official business”: A common mistake for learners is to see `官 (official)` and assume 官司 (guānsi) can mean any business with the government, like applying for a passport or dealing with bureaucracy. This is incorrect. 官司 (guānsi) refers *exclusively* to legal disputes and lawsuits.
• “Lawsuit” vs. `官司`: Remember the difference in connotation. In English, you could say, “Filing this lawsuit is a good strategic move for our company.” In Chinese, saying `打这场官司是我们公司的好策略` sounds slightly odd because 官司 is inherently negative. It's better to use a more formal, neutral term like `诉讼 (sùsòng)` in such a context. 官司 (guānsi) is what you call the trouble you're in; `诉讼 (sùsòng)` is the technical term for the legal procedure.
• Incorrect Verb Usage: Don't say `做官司 (zuò guānsi)` or `有官司 (yǒu guānsi)` in the sense of initiating a lawsuit. The standard verb is `打 (dǎ)`. You can say `我有一个官司 (wǒ yǒu yí ge guānsi)` to mean “I am involved in a lawsuit,” but to talk about the action of suing, `打官司 (dǎ guānsi)` is the correct phrase.

• 诉讼 (sùsòng) - A more formal and neutral term for “litigation.” It's the technical, legal word, whereas `官司` is the common, everyday word.
• 打官司 (dǎ guānsi) - The most common verb-object phrase, meaning “to sue,” “to litigate,” or “to go to court.”
• 案件 (ànjiàn) - A (legal) case. This is a neutral term that can refer to a criminal or civil case being handled by the police or the court. A `官司` is a type of `案件`.
• 纠纷 (jiūfēn) - A dispute or a conflict. A `纠纷` is often the precursor to a `官司`. You try to resolve the `纠纷` first; if you can't, it might escalate into a `官司`.
• 律师 (lǜshī) - Lawyer; the professional you hire to help you `打官司`.
• 法院 (fǎyuàn) - Court; courthouse. The place where a `官司` is heard.
• 法律 (fǎlǜ) - Law. The system of rules that governs a `官司`.
• 原告 (yuángào) - Plaintiff; the person who initiates the lawsuit.
• 被告 (bèigào) - Defendant; the person being sued.
• 和解 (héjiě) - To settle (a dispute); to reconcile. This is the desired outcome to avoid or end a `官司`.