錯

Phono-semantic compound:

金 (쇠 금, “metal”) — semantic, indicating relation to metalwork or alloying.

昔 (예 석, “ancient, past”) — phonetic, providing the sound 착 (cuò).

Originally, 錯 referred to inlaying metals of different colors — e.g., gold on bronze — or engraving and polishing metal surfaces.

By metaphorical extension, it came to mean things mixed together or out of alignment, hence “to be wrong” or “to make a mistake.”

착오 (錯誤) — mistake, error.

교착 (交錯) — interlacing, intertwining.

착잡 (錯雜) — mixed, confused, complex.

착상 (錯想) — a confused or mistaken idea.

부착금 (鍍錯金) — gilded or plated metal.

In literary and scholarly Korean, 錯 carries both the physical sense of mixing metals or materials and the abstract sense of mental or moral error.

In ancient Chinese metalwork, 錯 referred to the art of metal inlay — embedding gold or silver into bronze or iron to create decorative patterns. The technique developed as early as the Warring States and perfected during the Han dynasty. This craftsmanship sense survives in words like:

錯金 (착금) — gold inlay.

錯銀 (착은) — silver inlay.

Artisans engraved intricate designs into bronze, then hammered gold or silver wire into the incisions — producing shimmering, interwoven surfaces on ritual vessels, weapons, and mirrors.

This practice gave the character 錯 both aesthetic and philosophical depth:

Visually, it symbolized complex harmony in contrast — distinct elements unified in beauty.

Ethically, it came to reflect the entanglement of human error and wisdom, or the interwoven nature of fate and choice.

Literarily, it suggested the crossing of emotions, as in tangled love, moral conflict, or poetic intricacy.

Such symbolism appears in Tang-dynasty poetry and later Neo-Confucian writings, where “錯綜 (착종)” described not only artistic complexity but also the woven balance of Heaven and humanity (天人錯綜).

Because the visual motif of intertwining metals symbolized complexity and beauty intertwined, the word took on broader figurative meanings:

- the entanglement of emotions (情錯),

- the crossing of fates (錯綜), and

- the human condition of imperfection and error (錯誤).

In Confucian texts, “錯行 (착행)” appears with the moral connotation “to act wrongly.”

Meanwhile, in classical poetry, 錯 often evokes intricacy or overlapping beauty, such as the layered petals of flowers or interwoven musical sounds.