大方廣圓覺修多羅了義經略疏 2.1219

2.1219

此云近事男、近事女，謂親近比丘、比丘尼而承事故，即三歸五戒之士、女也。小乘局於二眾，大乘道俗俱霑。

Here [in Chinese] rendered as 'man who draws near to serve' and 'woman who draws near to serve', meaning they draw near to bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs to attend and serve them; namely, laymen and laywomen of the three refuges and five precepts. The Hīnayāna is restricted to the two [ordained] assemblies; the Mahāyāna extends to both monastic and lay.