繹

It is a phono-semantic compound, composed of:

糸 (fine thread, silk) – semantic element, representing “thread, connection.”

睪 (yeok, “to peep, to watch closely”) – phonetic element.

The imagery is that of unraveling threads carefully and laying them out in sequence, which extends metaphorically to inquiring deeply, investigating, or developing something step by step.

In Korean, 역 (繹) appears mainly in scholarly or literary vocabulary, often linked with inquiry or unfolding:

연역 (演繹) – deduction, logical inference (lit. “to unfold and extend”)

소역 (溯繹) – tracing back, pursuing to the origin

유역 (類繹) – classification and detailed inquiry