‘旅游’ (lǚ yóu) is a compound word meaning ‘tourism’ as a noun or ‘to travel for pleasure’ as a verb. The first character, 旅 (lǚ), means ‘journey’ or ‘travel,’ often implying movement away from home; the second, 游 (yóu), means ‘to wander,’ ‘to stroll,’ or ‘to tour,’ suggesting leisure and exploration rather than work or migration. Together, they emphasize recreational travel — visiting places for enjoyment, culture, relaxation, or sightseeing, not for business, study, or relocation.

This term is widely used in daily conversation, travel brochures, news reports, and official contexts (e.g., tourism policy). It’s more formal and neutral than colloquial alternatives like ‘玩儿’ (wánr, ‘to hang out/play’) and less technical than ‘观光’ (guān guāng, ‘sightseeing’). While it can describe both domestic and international travel, it carries no inherent implication of distance — a weekend trip to a nearby mountain qualifies as 旅游 just as much as a month-long overseas tour.