The word 探险 is formed by combining two characters: 探, which means "to explore" or "to investigate", and 险, which means "danger" or "peril". When joined, they create a conceptual compound where the action of exploring is directed specifically towards dangerous or hazardous realms, thus forming the integrated idea of "venturing into the unknown where risk is inherent", which translates as "adventure" or "to explore dangerously".