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格物

Mandarin · pinyin gé wù

to study the underlying principles, esp. in neo-Confucian rational learning 理學 lǐ xué
word for Western natural sciences during late Qing

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Characters in this entry

格: gé · pattern, standard, form; style
物: wù · thing, substance, creature

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Mandarin tones

2–4 · ge2 wu4

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

(literary) to investigate the nature of things; to study the underlying principles

noun

(obsolete) Alternative name for 格致 (gézhì, “natural science”).

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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