study of natural laws; investigation of principles
Refers to the systematic pursuit of underlying principles, especially in natural philosophy or science. A somewhat formal, academic term.
Scholars in the Edo period devoted themselves to the study of natural laws.
neo-Confucian investigation of principle
Specifically denotes a branch of neo-Confucian scholarship that seeks to understand the underlying principle (理) of things through exhaustive inquiry. Historical and philosophical term.
In Zhu Xi's school of neo-Confucianism, the investigation of principle was considered an important practice.
(Western) physics
Standard kanji form for both senses; 窮 carries the nuance of 'exhaustively investigating'.
Variant kanji form; 究 also means 'to investigate thoroughly' and is used interchangeably.
From Chinese 窮理 (qiónglǐ), literally 'to exhaustively investigate principle'. The term was adopted into Japanese scholarship, particularly within neo-Confucian contexts.