Following Zhu Xi’s interpretations, most translators today render ge wu as “investigating things.” Wang and his friend Qian were trying to “investigate things” in this manner when they stared attentively at the bamboos, struggling to grasp their underlying Pattern.  It is questionable, though, whether this is what Zhu Xi had in mind.  Zhu certainly thought the Pattern was present in everything, and could potentially be investigated in even the most mundane of objects.  However, he emphasized that the best method to learn about the Pattern was through studying the classics texts of Confucianism, particularly the Four Books.  