📚 China's Only Undergraduate Esperanto Major: Zaozhuang University and the Century-Old Debate | 全国唯一的世界语本科专业：枣庄学院与这门百年语言的争议
Esperanto, the best-known international auxiliary language in the world, has existed for well over a century. Yet its practical usefulness and its educational value remain genuinely contested. In China the argument returned to public attention recently when the country's only undergraduate Esperanto programme, based at Zaozhuang University in Shandong, was discussed again in the media. Online, it is often framed as the answer to a riddle: which university major is so unusual that even well-known people sitting postgraduate entrance exams would be stumped by it? This article looks at where Esperanto came from, how it travelled to China, what the Shandong programme actually teaches, and whether a language with almost no native speakers deserves a place in higher education.
世界语是全世界最为知名的国际辅助语言，存在时间已超过一个世纪，然而它的实际应用价值与教育价值至今仍颇具争议。最近，中国高校唯一的世界语本科专业——设在山东枣庄学院——再度受到媒体关注，关于它的讨论也重新升温。在网络语境里，它常常被当作一道谜题的答案：究竟哪个大学专业如此冷门，以至于连参加考研的名人也会被难倒？本文将从世界语的起源讲起，梳理它传入中国的历程，考察枣庄学院这一专业究竟教什么，并讨论一门几乎没有母语者的语言，是否应当在高等教育中占有一席之地。
1. The World's Most Famous Auxiliary Language | 世界上最著名的国际辅助语言
Esperanto is usually described as an international auxiliary language rather than a national language. Its supporters present it as a neutral bridge between speakers of different mother tongues; its critics point out that more than a century after its creation it is still spoken by a very small global community. Both descriptions are accurate, and the tension between them is exactly why the language keeps generating debate.
世界语通常被界定为国际辅助语言，而不是某个民族的语言。支持者把它视为不同母语者之间的中立桥梁；批评者则指出，在诞生一个多世纪之后，它仍然只被全球极小的社群使用。两种说法都是事实，而它们之间的张力，正是这门语言不断引发争论的原因。
The recent attention given to China's single undergraduate Esperanto programme invites a broader question. If a language is learned by only a few tens of thousands of people worldwide, should a university devote four years and a full degree to it? The answer offered by the Shandong programme is that Esperanto is studied together with English and with practical media and business skills, so that graduates are employable even if they never work as Esperantists.
中国唯一的世界语本科专业之所以引发关注，是因为它引出了一个更广泛的问题：如果一门语言在全球只有数万人学习，大学是否应当为它投入四年时间和一个完整学位？枣庄学院的回应是，世界语与英语以及实用的传媒、商务技能捆绑培养，因此即便毕业生最终不从事世界语相关工作，也依然具备就业能力。
2. The Origin and Founding Idea | 世界语的起源与创立理念
On 26 July 1887, a Polish ophthalmologist named Ludwik Zamenhof published a small book usually translated as the First Book of Esperanto. That publication announced the birth of what is often called an artificial language, although Zamenhof preferred to think of it as a planned language designed for real communication.
1887年7月26日，波兰眼科医生柴门霍夫出版了一本通常被译为《世界语第一书》的小册子。这次出版宣告了所谓人造语言的诞生，不过柴门霍夫本人更愿意把它看成一种为真实交流而设计、经过规划的语言。
Zamenhof designed Esperanto to break down the language barriers of international communication. He hoped to build a neutral and easily learned system that would let different peoples communicate on an equal footing, rather than forcing one national language on everybody. His own city, divided between mutually hostile language communities, gave him a personal reason to care about the problem.
柴门霍夫设计世界语的初衷，是为了打破国际交流中的语言壁垒。他期望构建一套中立且易学的语言系统，让不同民族能够在平等的基础上沟通，而不是被迫接受某一民族的语言。他所在的城市长期被相互敌视的语言社群分割，这让他对这一问题有着切身的体会。
Crucially, Zamenhof positioned Esperanto as a second language. It was never meant to replace any national language, only to serve as an auxiliary tool for international contact. This principle of adding rather than replacing is still repeated by Esperanto organisations today.
关键在于，柴门霍夫把世界语定位为第二语言。它从来不是为了取代任何民族语言，而只是国际交往的辅助工具。这种"增加而非替代"的原则，至今仍被各类世界语组织反复强调。
3. Sixteen Rules and a Logical Word-Building System | 十六条规则与逻辑化的构词系统
The grammar of Esperanto is contained in just 16 rules, and these rules admit no exceptions. Vocabulary is drawn mainly from roots common to European languages, which lowers the initial learning burden for many learners. In theory, therefore, the language should be easier to master than a natural language of comparable range.
世界语的语法只有16条规则，而且这些规则不存在例外。其词汇主要取自欧洲语言中常见的词根，这在很大程度上降低了初学阶段的门槛。因此从理论上说，它应当比范围相当的自然语言更容易掌握。
Another distinctive feature is regular word building. Prefixes and suffixes can be combined systematically, so a single root can generate a family of related words. This is one of the clearest illustrations of the design philosophy behind the language.
另一个显著特征是构词高度规则。前缀与后缀可以系统地组合，因此一个词根能够生成一整个相关词族。这是该语言设计哲学最清晰的体现之一。
mal- + granda → malgranda (big → small)
28 letters, 6 with diacritics (ĉ, ĝ, ĥ, ĵ, ŝ, ŭ); stress fixed on the penultimate syllable
These regularities matter for teaching. Because stress is fixed and spelling is phonetic, learners spend less time on exceptions and more time on communication, which is precisely what makes the language attractive as a first contact with structural linguistics.
这些规则性对教学很有意义。由于重音位置固定、拼写与读音一致，学习者花在例外上的时间更少，花在交流上的时间更多，这正是它在"结构性语言学入门"方面具有吸引力的原因。
4. Esperanto Enters China: From Transliteration to a Mass Wave | 世界语传入中国：从音译到学习热潮
Esperanto arrived in China in the early twentieth century. At first its name was transliterated into Chinese characters as "爱斯不难读", a rendering that literally suggested it was not hard to read, and this name helped popularise the idea among readers of the period.
世界语于20世纪初传入中国。起初它的名称被音译成"爱斯不难读"，这一译法字面上就暗示它不难读，也在当时的读者中帮助推广了这一理念。
During the 1920s, intellectuals including Lu Xun and Hu Yuzhi actively promoted the language, and Esperanto societies were founded in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. The movement was tied to a wider interest in internationalism, education and social reform.
在1920年代，鲁迅、胡愈之等知识分子积极推广世界语，北京、上海等城市相继成立了世界语学会。这场运动与当时对国际主义、教育和社会改革的广泛兴趣紧密相连。
A second and much larger wave appeared in the 1980s. Estimates at the time suggested that around 400,000 learners were studying the language in China, making it one of the largest single-country followings anywhere in the world.
第二次、也是规模更大的一次热潮出现在1980年代。据当时的估算，中国的世界语学习者达到约40万人，使中国成为全球单一国家中规模最大的世界语社群之一。
5. China's Esperanto Community Today | 当下中国的世界语生态
At present, China has roughly 20,000 Esperanto users, most of whom are enthusiasts or researchers rather than professionals who use the language daily. The gap between the 1980s figure and today's figure shows how sharply enthusiasm can rise and fall for a language without native transmission.
现阶段，中国大约有两万名世界语使用者，其中多数是爱好者或研究人员，而非每天以世界语为工作语言的职业人士。1980年代的数字与今天形成鲜明对比，说明一门没有母语代际传承的语言，其热度可以升得多快、落得多快。
One notable exception to the general picture of limited official recognition concerns Sichuan province. Since the 1990s, Sichuan has included Esperanto among the optional languages available in the professional title foreign language examination. This remains one of the few examples of Chinese officialdom formally acknowledging the practical value of Esperanto.
在官方认可普遍有限的大背景下，四川是一个值得注意的例外。自1990年代开始，四川将世界语纳入职称外语考试的可选语种。这至今仍是中国官方正式承认世界语实用价值的少数案例之一。
Institutionally, the All-China Esperanto League was founded in 1951 and has continued to run publishing and exchange activities ever since. Such organisations provide the institutional continuity that a small language needs in order to survive between waves of public interest.
在机构层面，中华全国世界语协会于1951年成立，此后持续开展各类出版与交流活动。对一门小众语言而言，这类组织提供的制度延续性，正是它在公众兴趣涨落之间得以存续的关键。
6. Zaozhuang University: China's Only Undergraduate Programme | 枣庄学院：全国唯一的世界语本科专业
In 2018, Zaozhuang University in Shandong established what is described as the world's first undergraduate Esperanto major. The programme lasts four years and awards a Bachelor of Arts degree, placing Esperanto inside the standard Chinese undergraduate credit system rather than in evening classes or short courses.
2018年，位于山东的枣庄学院设立了被称为全球首个世界语本科专业的项目。该专业学制四年，授予文学学士学位，这意味着世界语被纳入了中国标准的本科培养体系，而不再只是夜校或短期课程的内容。
The major is built on the university's existing strengths in English and in Network and New Media. Its stated training goal is to produce bilingual composite talent who are competent in both Esperanto and English, so that the language skill is paired with a second, more widely demanded competence.
该专业依托学校原有的英语专业与网络与新媒体专业建设。其明确的培养目标是造就同时掌握世界语与英语的双语复合型人才，从而让这门语言技能与另一项市场需求更广的能力相互配合。
This design choice is deliberate. By attaching a rare language to mainstream applied subjects, the university reduces the risk that graduates will be defined solely by an extremely narrow specialism.
这一设计是有意为之。通过把一门稀有语言嫁接到主流应用型专业之上，校方降低了毕业生被单一冷门标签所定义的风险。
7. What Students Actually Study | 课程设置与培养重点
The curriculum includes modules on Esperanto grammar, translation between Esperanto and Chinese or English, Esperanto literature, and intercultural communication. In other words, students are trained in the language as a system, as a professional skill and as a cultural tradition.
专业课程包含世界语语法模块、世界语与中文或英文之间的翻译、世界语文学以及跨文化交际等内容。也就是说，学生既把世界语当作一套语言系统来学习，也把它当作一项职业技能和一种文化传统来理解。
The university stresses that the programme values practical ability, and it lists education, media work and cultural tourism among the likely destinations for graduates. The aim is to combine niche language learning with skills that are transferable to ordinary workplaces.
校方特别强调该专业重视实践能力，并把教育、传媒、文化旅游等领域列为毕业生可能的去向。其思路是把小众语言学习与能够迁移到普通职场的能力结合起来。
For students considering such a pathway, a useful comparison is with other small-language degrees. The language itself rarely guarantees a career; what supports employability is the combination of the language, a second language, and a clearly defined applied skill set.
对于考虑类似路径的学生而言，一个有益的参照是其他小语种学位。语言本身很少能保证一份职业，真正支撑就业竞争力的，是语言、第二外语与明确定义的应用技能三者的组合。
8. Teachers, the Museum and Physical Teaching Resources | 师资、博物馆与实体教学资源
Zaozhuang University's Esperanto programme has ten teachers holding senior professional titles, five of whom hold doctoral degrees. For a programme of this size, that is a substantial concentration of specialist staff, and it is one reason the major is treated as a flagship rather than an experiment.
枣庄学院世界语专业拥有10名具有高级职称的教师，其中5人具备博士学位。对于一个规模如此之小的专业来说，这是相当集中的专业师资，也是该专业被视为特色招牌而非一次试验的原因之一。
The Esperanto Museum, completed in 2013, serves as the core teaching base for the programme. Its collection of documents and artefacts exceeds 40,000 items, making it the largest Esperanto-themed museum in Asia.
2013年建成的世界语博物馆是该专业的核心教学基地。馆藏文献与文物数量超过4万件，是亚洲规模最大的世界语专题博物馆。
A museum attached to a degree programme is unusual, but it serves a practical purpose. For a language with limited everyday use, material culture, archives and manuscripts become the laboratory in which students encounter the language as a living historical phenomenon.
把博物馆与学位项目结合并不常见，但它有实际功能。对一门日常使用场景有限的语言而言，实物、档案与手稿就成了学生的"实验室"，让他们把世界语作为一种活生生的历史现象来接触。
9. Internships, Exchanges and the World Congress | 实习体系、交换项目与国际世界语大会
Student internship channels include organisations such as the International Esperanto Association and the All-China Esperanto League. These placements give students contact with the small but genuinely international professional network that surrounds the language.
学生的实习渠道包括国际世界语协会、中华全国世界语协会等组织。这些实习机会让学生得以接触围绕这门语言形成的、规模虽小却真正国际化的职业网络。
The university also maintains exchange programmes with universities in countries such as Poland and Hungary, and each year it selects students to attend the World Esperanto Congress. For learners of a language with no native speech community, such events function as the closest available equivalent of immersion.
学校还与波兰、匈牙利等国高校建立了交换项目，并且每年选派学生参加国际世界语大会。对于学习一门没有母语社群的语言的人来说，这类活动就是最接近"沉浸式环境"的存在。
This internship and exchange system is explicitly intended to compensate for the limited real-world application scenarios of the language. Whether it fully compensates is debatable, but it does convert an abstract linguistic skill into concrete international experience.
这一实习与交换体系，明确是为了弥补该语言实际应用场景有限的短板。它能否完全弥补仍有争议，但确实把抽象的语言技能转化成了具体的国际经验。
10. The Employment Reality: Narrow Demand, Transferable Skills | 就业前景的实际挑战
Graduates of Esperanto face a limited market. Worldwide, the number of organisations that use Esperanto as a main working language is estimated at fewer than 100, and the positions that exist are concentrated in translation, publishing and teaching. Most graduates therefore look for work through a minor subject or a second foreign language.
世界语专业毕业生面临的是需求有限的市场。在全球范围内，以世界语为主要工作语言的组织估计不超过100个，相关岗位集中于翻译、出版、教学等领域。因此大多数毕业生会依靠辅修专业或第二外语来寻找工作。
Zaozhuang University points to emerging fields such as cross-border e-commerce and international tourism, arguing that Esperanto can function as a point of differentiation in a crowded job market. The argument is reasonable in principle, since a distinctive profile can attract attention.
枣庄学院把就业方向指向跨境电商、国际旅游等新兴领域，认为世界语可以成为激烈就业市场中的差异化优势。这一论证在原则上说得通，因为独特的个人标签确实能够吸引注意力。
Actual employment data, however, tell a more modest story. In recent years most graduates have taken up English teaching posts or general clerical positions, and cases of direct professional use of Esperanto remain few.
不过，实际就业数据呈现出的画面要朴素得多。近年来，毕业生多数从事英语教学工作或普通文职职位，直接以世界语作为工作语言的案例并不多。
Roughly 20,000 users in China ÷ fewer than 100 organisations worldwide using Esperanto as a working language
Estimated 400,000 learners in the 1980s → about 20,000 today
11. Educational Value: What Learning Esperanto Really Trains | 语言教育的价值反思
From an educational point of view, Esperanto teaching demonstrates the general value of language study as mental training. Its word formation is logically rigorous and its grammatical rules are transparent, which helps learners understand the underlying structure of language rather than memorising irregularities.
从教育的审视角度看，世界语教学体现了语言学习作为思维训练的普遍价值。它的构词法逻辑严谨，语法规则清晰透明，有助于学习者理解语言的底层结构，而不是单纯记忆不规则现象。
This kind of training is believed to have positive transfer effects on learning other languages. A student who has understood how affixes build meaning in Esperanto usually approaches the vocabulary and grammar of French, German or Spanish with a clearer analytical framework.
这类训练被认为对学习其他语言具有正向迁移作用。一个理解世界语中词缀如何生成意义的学生，在学习法语、德语或西班牙语的词汇与语法时，通常会带着更清晰的分析框架。
At the same time, Esperanto carries a specific internationalist ideal that has educational content of its own. Learners encounter communities with very different cultural backgrounds, and that experience offers a form of cross-cultural contact that is difficult to replicate in a conventional classroom.
与此同时，世界语所承载的国际主义理念本身也具有教育内涵。学习者通过这门语言接触文化背景差异极大的社群，这种体验提供了传统课堂难以复制的跨文化接触形式。
For students preparing for A Level or IB language courses, the lesson is not necessarily "study Esperanto". It is that the analytical dimension of language learning - morphology, syntax, register, translation - is transferable, and that a rare language studied seriously can strengthen rather than weaken a mainstream academic profile.
对于准备 A Level 或 IB 语言课程的学生来说，这里得到的启示未必是"去学世界语"，而是：语言学习中的分析维度——词法、句法、语域、翻译——是可以迁移的，而一门认真学习的小众语言，能够强化而非削弱主流学术背景。
12. Key Facts and the Debate Ahead | 关键事实与未来之争
The table below summarises the essential facts about the language and the Shandong programme, so that readers can weigh the arguments with the numbers in front of them.
下表汇总了有关这门语言以及山东这一专业的关键事实，便于读者在掌握具体数字的基础上自行判断。
| Item | 项目 | style="border:1
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