“格物致知”是中国古代儒家思想中的一个重要概念，乃儒家专门研究事物道理的一个理论，源于《礼记‧大学》八目——格物、致知、诚意、正心、修身、齐家、治国、平天下，所论述的“欲诚其意者，先致其知；致知在格物。物格而后知至，知至而后意诚”此段。冯友兰先生在他的《中国哲学简史》里是这么翻译的：Wishing
for absolute sincerity in their thoughts, they first extended their
knowledge. This extension of
knowledge consists in the
investigation of things.'Things being investigated,
only then did their knowledge become extended. Their knowledge
being extended, only then did their thought become sincere.
所以，“格物致知”应该是'the investigation of things and