The word 法医 is formed by combining two conceptual ideas: 法 (fǎ), meaning "law" or "legal", and 医 (yī), meaning "medicine" or "medical". It is not merely two words placed together, but a fusion that creates a new, specific concept, the field or professional that applies medical knowledge and techniques to serve legal purposes, such as determining cause of death for an inquest. Thus, it conceptually blends the domain of law with the practice of medicine to define the role of a forensic medical examiner.