行記是一種來歷久遠的史部著述，同時也是一種獨特的散文文類。它起源於漢魏，初盛於六朝隋唐，繼盛於宋元明清，千餘年來，作者蔚起，代有新變。漢魏六朝作為其孕育和初創時代，其文獻學基礎和文學研究的基礎都相當薄弱，其間究竟出現了哪些類別、體式，各體有何特點，與後世的遊記有何異同，均不甚清楚，急需解決。若從文獻考證和文體辨析入手，似可回答上述問題。按照內容的不同，可將其劃分為外國行記、行役記、交聘記三大類別。根據編撰方式的不同，又可將其區分為行傳體和筆記體兩體。此三類兩體行記在內容、體例、寫法上各具體色，但又有著最基本的文體特徵和演變規律。

Travel notes were a kind of historical work and prose. This literary form originated from the Han and Wei dynasty, popular from the Six and Sui Tang dynasty to Ming and Qing dynasty. Many authors and varieties emerged in a period of more than a thousand years. In the initial stage of Han and Wei dynasty, the basic study about this form is rather poor. As a result, we do not know how many types or forms existed in this period or how it was done. We must gain a clear idea of the similarities and differences of travel notes. This thesis will answer those questions. According to their content, we differentiate between three types: foreign country notes, route notes and diplomatic travels, each with its own feature and writing technique. According to fashion, we classify those works into two kinds: travel biographies and travel notes. We will draw a clear distinction between two types on the following passage and discuss their basic writing features and patterns of evolution.