Taxonomy of meanings for 錯:  

  • 錯 cuò (OC: skhaaɡ MC: tsʰɑk) 倉各切 入 廣韻:【鑢别名又雜也摩也詩傳云東西爲交邪行爲錯説文云金涂也倉各切七 】
    • CHAOS
      • vadNchaotically placed
      • vibe (typically chaotically) intertwined
    • DISCARD
      • vtoNset aside
    • MISTAKE
      • nabactmistake
      • vadVmistakenly; in a wrong way
      • viactmake mistakes
      • vigradedbe wrong; (REMEMBER TO CHECK MO: 不亦錯乎.
      • v[adNab]actmistaken action < mistakeVK
    • MIXED
      • vtoNstativeinterlace with
    • POLISH
      • vtoNpolish
    • SHARP
      • vigradedsharpened> sharp
    • WHETSTONE
      • nwhetstone (SHI)
  • 錯 cuò (OC: skhaaɡs MC: tsʰuo) 倉故切 去 廣韻:【金塗又姓宋太宰之後又千各切 】
    • DEPLOY
      • vtoNdeploy
      • vtoNpassivebe deployed as, be employed as
    • ESTABLISH
      • vtoNLY 13.3: put down (one's hands and feet); lay down (the law), establish (laws)
      • vtoNfigurativeestablish 措意 establish meaning > make sense, find meaning in something
    • PUT
      • vtoNput in; thrust against; plant into, deploy in the direction of, direct against
      • vttoN1.+prep+N2put N1 in the place N2CH

    Additional information about 錯

    說文解字:

      Criteria
    • DEPLOY

      1. The current general word for deploying troops is chén 陳 which connotes arrangement of things in ordered formations, and the more general yòng 用.

      2. Zhāng 張 emphasises the spreading out of the troops.

      3. Cuò 錯 / 措 emphasises the putting in place of the troops.

    • MISTAKE

      1. The most current general word for a mistake is probably shī 失 (ant. dé 得 "get things right") refers generally to an inadvertent mistake in action, and normally of minor kind.

      2. Wù 誤 (ant. zhèng 正 "correct") typically refers quite generally to intellectual misapprehension.

      3. Miù 謬 (ant. zhèng 正 "correct") typically refers to an intellectual misapprehension because of complete baselessness of what is being said.

      4. Quē 闕 (ant. wán 完 "completely right") is a polite circumlocution for a superior's inadvertencies or mistakes in action..

      5. Tè 忒 and chà 差 is an archaic word for unreglemented personal or political conduct.

      NB: Cuò 錯 as a standard word for "mistake" is post-Han.

    • MONEY

      1. Probably the most current term for money is qián 錢, but the word became current only in Han times. The word originally referred to the agricultural implement similar to or identical with bù 布 (see below). In the Warring States period, the term was together with bù 布 used for spade-like coins. Later, it began to refer to round money casted by the Qin dynasty, and in Han times it became a current general word for money.

      2. Bì 幣 referred originally to the silk which could be used for sacrifice or as a gift. In the Warring States period, the term refer to precious things (jades, horses) often used as a gift. In Han times, the word was used like a general term for money.

      3. Dāo bù 刀布 could be used like a general term for money in the Warring States period.

      4. Bù 布 refers to the bronze coins cast in the shape of bù 布 (spade-like implement in ancient China). The earliest exemplars (of remarkably large size and with hollow handle) are known from the states of Jin and Zhou and dates from the end of the sixth century B.C.. During the following Warring States period, this type of coin (usually with a flat handle) was in use particularly in the states of Wei, Han and Zhao, but also in Chu. The coins were usually inscribed with the name of a state or city where they were cast. After Qin unification, bù 布 came out of use, but they were revived for a short time during the reign of the Wang Mang's Xin dynasty.

      5. Dāo 刀 refers to the bronze knife-like coins. They came into use slightly later than bù 布 coins, and were cast particularly in the eastern states of Yan, Qi, but also Zhao. Some exemplars survived till the early Han dynasty; later, shape-like coins were revived for two years (7 - 9 A.D.) by Wang Mang. These knife-like coins from the end of the Western Han dynasty were called cuò dāo 錯刀.

      6. Bèi 貝 originally referred to the cauri shells which were in Shang and Western Zhou times used like primitive money or like a gift. For this purpose, they were joined to péng 朋, consisting of two strings of shells, five pieces each. In the Warring States period, the word also referred to the bronze coins in the shape of cauri which were in use in the state of Chu.

      7. Huán 圜 refers to the round coin with a square hole in a centre which was cast by the states of Qin and Zhou. After Qin unification, it became general currency for a whole empire.

      8. Yuán 爰 refers to the rectangular pieces of gold which were used like money in the state of Chu. It is the earliest golden currency in China.

      9. Bàn liǎng 半兩 refers to the round coin with a central square hole which was for the first time cast by the state of Qin in the late Warring States period and which was then in use till the second half of the second century B.C.. The coin should weight half of liǎng 兩 (i.e. 12 zhū 銖 ), and this weight was recorded in an inscription on the coin; hence the name. In fact, coins of this type known from Qin and early Han times are of very various height; in early Han times, most current were coins weighting four zhu 銖.

      10. Wǔ zhū 五銖 refers to a round coin with a square hole weighting five zhū 銖 which was for the first time cast under Emperor Wudi in 118 B.C. and was then in use during the whole Han dynasty (with a short break about the time of Wang Mang's reign).

      11. Mǎ tí 馬蹄, lù tí 鹿蹄, huán tí 圜蹄, and lín zhǐ 麟趾 are various terms referring to the pieces of gold formed into the shape of horse's, deer's, or qí lín's 麒麟 hoof. This kind of currency was in use under the Han dynasty.

      12. Dà quán 大泉, xiǎo quán 小泉, zhuāng quán 壯泉, xuán quán 玄泉 are all round coins of various size dating from Wang Mang's reign.

      13. Pí bì 皮幣 refers to the money made of deer skin which were in use in the reign of Emperor Wudi (141 - 87 B.C.).

    • WHETSTONE

      1. Lì 礪 refers to the whetstone which is - according to the SHUOWEN - rather crude. [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 7, pp. 1116; WANG 1993; 228]

      2. Lì 厲 is another (perhaps more archaic) term for the lì 礪; it is known already from SHIJING: HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 1, pp. 936; YANG 2000: 57 - 58; WANG 1993; 228]

      3. Dǐ 砥 refers to the finer whetstone than lì 礪. [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 7, pp. 1020; WANG 1993; 228]

      4. Zhi 底 3 is another term for dǐ 砥 [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 3, pp. 1219; WANG 1993; 228]

      5. Cuò 錯 refers to a whetstone, and the word occurs already in SHIJING; according to commentaries it was used in processing jades. [XIANG 1997: 93]

      6. Cuò 厝 is a different term for cuò 錯. [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 1, pp. 926]

      7. Lián (I have not found the character in a list): according to SHUOWEN red whetstone: HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 7, pp. 1093]

      8. Jiān 礛 was used in processing of jades. [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 7, pp. 1116]

      9. Xíng 硎 refers to some kind of whetstone which was used to sharpen implements or to brush up jades. [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 7, pp. 1042]

      NB: It is difficult to distinguish these terms which and attribute them to concrete archaeological finds; but it is quite probable that part of them, particularly lì 礪 and lì 厲 were quite simple implements like these illustrated in XIANG 1997: pp. 58, fig. 1, 2. Round grindstones or whetstones seems to be no older than the Warring States period (CHEN 1991: 199).

    • ESTABLISH

      1. The current general word for setting up anything abstract or concrete is lì 立 and the almost equally common shè 設.

      2. Jiàn 建 refers to bringing something into existence through a comprehensive concerted effort.

      3. Jù 具 refers to establishing or setting up what is necessary in a certain context.

      4. Zhì 制 refers to set up institutionally a system.

      5. Cuò 錯 / 措 and zhì 置 (ant. feì 廢 "remove from its proper place") refer to putting something solidly and firmly in its proper place.

      6. Shù 樹 refers to planting or establishing something firmly where one intends it to remain.

      Word relations
    • Ant: (DISCARD)舉/APPOINT
    • Assoc: (CHAOS)乖/CHAOS
    • Assoc: (CHAOS)亂/CHAOS The very dominant word in this group is luàn 亂 (ant. zhì 治 "state of good government, state of good order") which refers to all kinds of reprehensible lack of order.
    • Synon: (PUT)容/PUT