Objective To define professionalism in medical education and to discover Chinese medical students' attitudes toward and understanding of medical professionalism. Methods In November 2022, the initial definition was constructed by literature research method. From March 2023 to April 2023, a questionnaire survey method was employed to gather data from 451 medical students at Shandong University. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on the data. Results The implications of 16 elements across 3 tiers were summarized and a questionnaire was developed to align with this analysis. A total of 451 valid questionnaires were returned. It included quantitative responses and some open-ended comments. The results showed that 110 (24.4%) students who understood the concept of professionalism. Medical students have a low recognition of the connotation of ″altruism″ [179 (39.7%)] and ″timely reporting of colleagues' dereliction of duty and medical malpractice″ [210 (46.6%)]. And more than 90% of students agreed that themselves or the physicians they work with can practice professionalism in their daily work. A total of 272 (60.3%) students concurred that schools and hospitals serve as the primary venues for cultivating professionalism. Conclusions The current understanding of the professionalism among medical students is not optimistic. Professionalism cultivation is an educational priority for medical students, which needs to be carried out in stages and long-term. It is necessary to pay attention to the professionalism cultivation of clinical teachers as well, and form the cultivation atmosphere of full participation, full coverage, and the whole process.