The word 导师 is formed by combining two meaningful characters: 导 (dǎo), which means "to guide" or "to lead", and 师 (shī), which means "teacher", "master", or "expert". The concept is constructed by placing the action or function (导) before the role (师), creating a compound idea of a "guiding teacher" or one whose primary defining characteristic is to provide direction and mentorship, thus specifically meaning a tutor, supervisor, or academic advisor.