取经

• Pinyin: qǔ jīng
• Hanzi breakdown: 取 = 耳 + 又 (obtain/fetch); 经 = 纟+ 坙 (scripture/canon/sutra — woven threads symbolising accumulated wisdom)

Meaning

To learn from others' experience; to seek and bring back good practices from an external source of expertise. Literally: to fetch Buddhist scriptures.

Derived from the story of Xuanzang in 西游记 (Journey to the West). Now figuratively means visiting a more advanced place or organisation to learn and bring back best practices. 去取经 and 借鉴经验 are related expressions.

Examples

1. 市政府派代表团赴先进城市取经，学习可持续城市发展的成功经验。 The city government sent a delegation to more advanced cities to learn from them and study successful practices in sustainable urban development.
2. 这家企业专程到行业标杆企业取经，希望改进自身的管理模式。 The company made a special trip to a leading firm in the industry to learn from its experience, hoping to improve its own management model.
3. 他此次出国进修，名为深造，实为取经，目的是将海外先进理念引入国内。 He went abroad for further study this time; officially it was to deepen his education, but in reality it was to learn and bring back advanced ideas to introduce at home.

Usage Guide

Context: business, governance, education, professional development

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 国内多家医院组成考察团专程赴海外取经，深入学习国际领先的医院精细化管理与患者服务经验。(Several domestic hospitals formed a delegation to travel abroad specifically to learn from leading international hospitals' refined management and patient service practices.)
• 这座小城的旅游产业能够实现跨越式发展，很大程度上得益于当初主动向周边成功城市取经借鉴的前瞻眼光。(The tourism industry of this small city achieved a leap in development largely thanks to the foresight of proactively learning from successful neighbouring cities.)

Don't Say

• 他去图书馆取经了 — use 查资料 or 借书; 取经 implies traveling to an external source of expertise to bring back lessons, not routine information gathering at a library

Origin & History

取 (obtain/fetch) + 经 (scripture/canon) — originally to fetch Buddhist scriptures; now: to seek wisdom from a superior source

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal