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差错 (chā cuò) — mistake, error; accident, mishap

Definition

差错 covers both 'mistake' (e.g., calculation error) and 'accident/mishap'. Compared with 错误 it leans more toward small concrete slips rather than abstract wrongness; 事故 is a larger accident with damage.

noun
mistakeerroraccidentmishap

Examples

  • 差错，。
    Zhè fèn bào gào bù néng yǒu rèn hé chā cuò, bì xū zǐ xì hé duì.
    This report cannot have any mistakes; it must be carefully checked.
  • ，。
    Jī qì cāo zuò bú dàng róng yì chū chā cuò, yào zhù yì ān quán.
    Improper operation of the machine can easily cause accidents; pay attention to safety.
  • 差错。
    Tā yīn wèi yí gè jì suàn chā cuò sǔn shī le yí dà bǐ qián.
    He lost a large sum of money because of a calculation error.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

差chàerror
错cuòmistake

差 and 错 both point to an error, making 差错 mean a mistake or mishap.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 來來láiwheat
  • 𠂇𠂇𠂇left hand

差 pairs 來 (wheat) with 𠂇 (left hand), showing wheat rubbed in a hand to remove its hull.

Open 差 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 錯; 错 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
昔
昔xī錯cuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錯 pairs 金 (metal) with 昔 as a sound part; the simplified 错 is a later abbreviation.

Open 错 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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