旅

A compound ideograph formed of:

㫃 (깃발나부낄 언) — a pictograph of a banner or flag, symbolizing organization or command.

从 (좇을 종) — representing two people following together.

Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字) defines:

「旅，衆也。从𠂤从方。方者，旂之象。」

“旅 means a group; composed of 从 (people following) and 方 (the form of a flag).”

Thus, 旅 originally depicted a group of men assembled under a banner, a formation or company in the army.

In early Zhou and Warring States military organization, one 旅 (一旅) represented approximately five hundred soldiers, a sub-unit of the 師 (division).

As warfare and administration developed, 旅’s meaning broadened to include any collective journey or movement, hence “company of travelers” and “journey.”

旅 (려) — journey; traveler

旅行 (여행) — travel; to make a journey

旅人 (여인 / 나그네) — traveler; wanderer

旅程 (여정) — journey; itinerary

旅館 (여관) — inn; lodging

旅客 (여객) — traveler; passenger

旅團 (여단) — brigade; military group

旅費 (여비) — travel expenses

旅立 (여립) — to depart on a journey (literary)

流浪旅人 (유랑여인) — wandering traveler

同旅 (동려) — companion on a journey

In Chinese, lǚ keeps both meanings — “journey” and “military detachment.”

In Japanese, 旅 (たび / tabi) is widely used for “trip,” “travel,” or poetic “journey through life.”

The Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典) glosses:

「旅，衆也，行也。」

“旅 means a group, or to travel.”

It cites the Book of Odes (詩經):

「孔子曰：古之行師，三軍之制，以旅為次。」

Confucius said: “In the ancient system of armies, the three main divisions were arranged by units of 旅.”

The Zuo Zhuan (左傳) also uses 旅 in its original sense:

「以旅見，禮也。」

“To present oneself with one’s company — it is proper ceremony.”

In later literature, 旅 came to represent exile, transience, and the human journey.

In Tang poetry, 旅 evokes the pathos of distance:

「客舍青青柳色新，勸君更盡一杯酒，西出陽關無故人。」 (Wang Wei, “Seeing Yuan II off to Anxi”)

— here 旅舍 (“inn”) embodies solitude on the road.

Thus, 旅 bridges the martial and the existential: from troops under a flag to travelers beneath the sky.

旅 began as a depiction of people gathered under a fluttering banner, signifying a military company or organized group.

Over time, it came to mean journey, traveler, and travel itself, reflecting the movement of people together under common purpose — whether in war, pilgrimage, or life’s wanderings.

In classical thought, 旅 carries both discipline and transience: the order of men in formation and the impermanence of the traveler’s path.

Thus, 旅 beautifully fuses the ideas of unity, movement, and impermanence.