中國古代的遊歴，與新創造的英語單詞experoutination：人類新知探索與異地體驗的共同行為及其文化價值

一、

古代中國的“遊歴”：起源與穩定的詞義

在中文語言體系中，“遊歴”一詞可以追溯到三千年前。早在戰國時期，我們就已經發現了系統性的“游記體”文獻——《穆天子傳》。這部作品雖然帶有濃厚的神話色彩，但核心是講述周穆王巡游天下的經歷。書中記錄的山川、部族、禮俗，反映出一種超越單純行旅的探索精神。

到了西漢，司馬遷在《史記》中以“實錄”方式書寫個人游歷，將“遊歴”與知識探求、人生閱歷、社會觀察緊密結合。從此，“遊歴”逐漸形成穩定的詞義，即在旅途中與目的地進行新知探索和異地體驗。

之后的中國歷史上，出現了眾多杰出的游歷家：

? 法顯（4世紀），遠赴天竺求取佛經，開創了佛教文化的中印交流；

? 玄奘（7世紀），其《大唐西域記》成為世界地理與宗教研究的寶庫；

? 鄭和（15世紀），七下西洋，將中國文化與印度洋沿岸諸國交流；

? 徐霞客（16—17世紀），以游歷日記形式記述自然、地理、社會，被譽為“游記文學巔峰”。

這些人共同表明，中國古代的“遊歴”不僅是行動上的遷徙，更是知識獲取、文化交流與文明互鑒的重要方式。

二、

西方的游歷傳統與中西對照時間軸

與中國類似，西方也形成了以知識和經驗探索為目的的游歷傳統。

? 希羅多德（公元前5世紀），通過觀察與記述形成了《歷史》，西方首部系統性的地理民族志；

? 馬可·波羅（13世紀），通過在元代的長期生活，將中國與歐洲互相介紹；

? 哥倫布（15世紀末），跨越大西洋，開啟了“地理大發現”；

? 歌德（18世紀），其《意大利游記》將個人文化體驗與審美感悟結合；

? 洪堡（18—19世紀），將科學考察與自然美學結合，提出自然地理學的整體觀；

? 達爾文（19世紀），通過“小獵犬號”航行，完成了進化論的啟蒙。

在早期近代歐洲，“大旅行”（Grand Tour）成為貴族與知識青年完成教育的重要環節。他們往往通過多年歐洲大陸的旅行，學習語言、歷史、藝術與政治。與中國的“遊歴”一脈相通，Grand Tour也是“在途中與目的地的學習與體驗”。

Grand Tour – 歷史地圖，顯示了從英格蘭經法國穿過阿爾卑斯山并向下進入意大利的可能路線（以紅色標記）， 來源：WIKI

如果把中西游歷家放在同一時間軸上（如穆天子—希羅多德—法顯—玄奘—馬可·波羅—鄭和—徐霞客—歌德—洪堡—達爾文），就會發現這是一種跨越文明、持續不斷的人類共同行為。

三、

當代的學術重構與新詞創造

2022年，北京大學地理學教授、游歷圖書館創始人吳必虎，在《旅游學刊》（Tourism Tribune）發表論文，首次系統地提出“遊歴”的發展階段、類型與影響，建立了研究框架。

同時，吳必虎教授創造了一個英語新詞：

experoutination =

exploration/experience + route + destination

它意在突破“travel”過于中性的移動含義，以及“tourism”過于休閑化的意義，從而提出一個能夠涵蓋“在途中與目的地探索與體驗”的全球性學術術語。

四、

英文學術條目的表達方式

以詞典格式，可表述為：

experoutination (n.)

? 定義：在途中與目的地進行知識探索和文化體驗的行為；區別于單純移動的“travel”，以及休閑取向的“tourism”。

? 詞源：由 exploration/experience + route + destination 組合而成。

? 提出者：北京大學地理學教授吳必虎，游歷圖書館創始人，首次提出于2022年《Tourism Tribune》。

? 經典案例：歐洲的Grand Tour，中國的徐霞客游歷，西方的Herodotus、Goethe、Humboldt、Darwin 等人的旅行。

五、

文化價值：人類的共同遺產

無論是《穆天子傳》還是《大旅行》，無論是徐霞客還是達爾文，experoutination/遊歴都體現了人類通過流動實現知識積累與文明互鑒的共同精神。它是教育的一部分，是科學的推動力，也是文化的橋梁。

新詞 experoutination 的提出，使這一跨越時空的文化現象第一次獲得了全球化的學術表述，為未來的跨文化研究提供了共同語言。

English Version:

Ancient Chinese "Youli" and the Newly Coined English Term Experoutination: Humanity’s Shared Practice of Knowledge Exploration and Cross-Cultural Experience and Its Cultural Value

1. The Origin and Stable Meaning of Youli in Ancient China

In the Chinese linguistic tradition, the term “遊歴” (youli) can be traced back more than three thousand years. As early as the Warring States period, we already find systematic travel records, such as the Classic of Mu, Son of Heaven (Mutianzi Zhuan). Although infused with myth, this text narrates the journeys of King Mu of Zhou across the land, describing landscapes, tribes, and rituals. Its essence is not mere travel but a spirit of exploration.

In the Han dynasty, Sima Qian established the model of “travel writing” in his Records of the Grand Historian, combining personal journeys with empirical observation, life reflection, and social critique. From then on, youli acquired a stable meaning: the pursuit of new knowledge and cross-cultural experiences both en route and at destinations.

Throughout Chinese history, numerous outstanding youli figures emerged:

? Faxian (4th c.), who journeyed to India for Buddhist scriptures, opening the earliest cultural exchange between China and South Asia;

? Xuanzang (7th c.), whose Great Tang Records on the Western Regions became a treasure for geography and religious studies;

? Zheng He (15th c.), who led seven great voyages across the Indian Ocean, promoting Sino-foreign exchanges;

? Xu Xiake (16th–17th c.), whose Travel Diaries represent the pinnacle of travel literature and geographical observation.

Thus, in China, youli was never just about movement; it was a vehicle for learning, cultural encounter, and civilizational dialogue.

2. The Western Tradition of Travel and the Sino-Western Timeline

Parallel to China, the West developed its own tradition of purposeful travel:

? Herodotus (5th c. BCE), often called the “Father of History,” who traveled widely and compiled ethnographic-geographical accounts in Histories;

? Marco Polo (13th c.), whose residence in Yuan China bridged East and West;

? Christopher Columbus (late 15th c.), who crossed the Atlantic, initiating the “Age of Discovery”;

? Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (18th c.), whose Italian Journey blended cultural insight and personal aesthetics;

? Alexander von Humboldt (18th–19th c.), who combined scientific observation with natural aesthetics, laying the foundations of modern geography;

? Charles Darwin (19th c.), whose Beagle Voyage inspired the theory of evolution.

In early modern Europe, the Grand Tour became institutionalized among the elite as an educational rite of passage. Young nobles and intellectuals were expected to tour the continent to acquire languages, history, art, and political understanding. Like youli, the Grand Tour embodied learning and experiencing through travel.

Placed together on a timeline—from the Mutianzi Zhuan to Herodotus, from Faxian and Xuanzang to Marco Polo, Zheng He, Xu Xiake, Goethe, Humboldt, and Darwin—we see experoutination as a continuous cross-civilizational practice.

3. Contemporary Reconstruction and the Coining of a New Term

In 2022, Professor Wu Bihu, geographer at Peking University and founder of the Experoutination Library, published a landmark paper in Tourism Tribune (游歷發展分期、型式與影響：一個研究框架的建構). This work systematically proposed the developmental stages, typologies, and impacts of youli, offering a conceptual framework for research.

At the same time, Professor Wu coined a new English word:

experoutination =

exploration/experience + route + destination

Unlike the neutral connotation of travel (mere movement) or the leisure-oriented meaning of tourism, experoutination is intended as a global academic term to capture the exploration of new knowledge and experience en route and at destinations.

4. Dictionary-Style Entry for Experoutination

experoutination(n.)

• ? Definition: The act of seeking knowledge and experience both along the route and at destinations; distinguished from mere mobility (travel) or leisure-oriented activity (tourism).
• ? Etymology: Formed from exploration/experience + route + destination.
• ? Originator:Coined by Wu Bihu, Professor of Geography at Peking University and founder of the Experoutination Library; first proposed in 2022 in Tourism Tribune.
• ? Classic Examples: The European Grand Tour; Xu Xiake’s travels in Ming China; journeys of Herodotus, Goethe, Humboldt, Darwin, etc.

5. Cultural Value: A Shared Heritage of Humanity

From the Mutianzi Zhuan to the Grand Tour, from Xu Xiake to Darwin, experoutination/ youli embodies the universal human aspiration to learn through movement. It is not merely a personal pastime—it has been part of education, a driver of science, and a bridge between civilizations.

By proposing the term experoutination, Professor Wu provides a global vocabulary to express this timeless human practice, offering both scholarly precision and cultural resonance.

作者 | 吳必虎 ChatGPT

編輯 | 周晴