Learning & Wisdom
格物致知
격물치지
gé wù zhì zhī
Gyeong-mul-chi-ji
格
이를 격
物
만물 물
致
이를 치
知
알 지
Character by character
Meaning
Investigate things to reach knowledge.
Origin
From the Great Learning; it became the central method of Neo-Confucian study.
How it is used
Describes getting at principles by digging into the phenomena themselves.
Hanja格物致知
Simplified格物致知
Korean reading격물치지
Pinyingé wù zhì zhī
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does Gyeong-mul-chi-ji mean?
格物致知 · Investigate things to reach knowledge.
Q. Where does Gyeong-mul-chi-ji come from?
From the Great Learning; it became the central method of Neo-Confucian study.
Q. How is Gyeong-mul-chi-ji used?
Describes getting at principles by digging into the phenomena themselves.
Idioms in the same group
刮目相對 Gwal-mok-sang-daeRub your eyes and look again — someone’s ability has grown astonishingly.敎學相長 Gyo-hak-sang-jangTeaching and learning grow each other.多多益善 Da-da-ik-seonThe more, the better.聞一知十 Mun-il-ji-sipHear one thing and know ten — exceptional quickness of mind.學而時習 Hak-i-si-seupLearn, and practise it in due time.不恥下問 Bul-chi-ha-munNot ashamed to ask those below you.
The idioms used in Korea mix phrases from the Chinese classics with ones coined in Korea. Where an expression is not used in China, the entry says so.