轍

A phono-semantic compound:

車 (cart, vehicle) — semantic component, clearly indicates relation to vehicles

徹 (to penetrate; thorough) — phonetic component (abbreviated), supplies the sound and contributes the idea of continuity or penetration, fitting the notion of a clearly marked track.

The original meaning of 轍 is the groove or track left in the ground by a wheeled vehicle, especially carts and chariots in ancient China. Because roads were often unpaved, repeated passage carved visible ruts into the earth.

From the concrete sense of a wheel rut, the meaning expanded metaphorically:

- following the same 轍 → repeating past actions

- breaking from the 轍 → departing from precedent

- old 轍 → outdated methods or habits

Thus, 轍 came to signify precedent, established practice, or habitual course.

전철 (前轍) — precedent; previous example

전철을 밟다 — to repeat the same mistake

전철을 되풀이하다 — to fall into the same pattern again

轍 reflects a shared East Asian metaphor:

"Human actions, like carts, leave tracks. Those who come later may choose whether to follow them."

Because of this, 轍 frequently appears in moral, political, and historical discourse.

A well-known classical phrase:

前轍可鑑 — “the previous wheel tracks may serve as a warning” → learn from past mistakes.

This reflects a common theme in classical Chinese thought: history as guidance.

Related characters:

跡 — trace, footprint

痕 — mark, scar

軌 — track; standard

道 — road; path

循 — to follow; to adhere to