The word 官司 (guānsi, meaning "lawsuit") is formed by combining the characters 官 (guān), meaning "government" or "official", and 司 (sī), meaning "to manage" or "to administer". Together, they create a conceptual image of an official body or magistrate administering justice, directly evoking the traditional scene of bringing a dispute before a government authority for judgment and resolution. It literally paints the picture of the "official's management" of a legal conflict.