The word "错误" (cuòwù, meaning "error" or "mistake") is formed through a process of semantic compounding, where two independent characters with related meanings are combined to create a more specific concept. The first character, "错", originally depicted inlaying gold into metal, conveying a sense of something being misplaced, crossed, or irregular. The second character, "误", combines the speech radical (讠/言) with the component for "to miss" or "delay", originally meaning a slip of the tongue or a misunderstanding. When fused, "错误" conceptually blends the idea of a factual or positional deviation ("错") with the notion of a mental or verbal misjudgment ("误"), resulting in the comprehensive concept of an "error".