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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

Chinese

錯綜複雜

/t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ fu⁵¹ t͡sä³⁵/
tangled and complicated; intricate
  • 错综复杂
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Etymology graph

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The phrase evokes a tangled web of threads and mixed elements, much like a complex weave of silk and gathered materials.
The phrase evokes a tangled web of threads and mixed elements, much like a complex weave of silk and gathered materials.

Origin

The phrase is formed by combining four characters. 錯, meaning wrong, erroneous, or incorrect, contains the semantic component 金 (copper) and the phonetic component 昔 (former times). 綜, meaning to put together, assemble, or gather, uses the semantic component 糸 (thin silk) and the phonetic component 宗 (ancestral temple).

Completing the phrase are 複, meaning a lined garment, which features the semantic component 衣 (garment) and the phonetic component 复 (to go back). Finally, 雜, meaning miscellaneous or mixed, incorporates the semantic component 衣 (garment) and the phonetic component 集 (to collect or gather). The character 集 itself is composed of the components 隹 (short-tailed bird) and 木 (tree).

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

「錯綜複雜」由四個漢字組成。其中「錯」字包含「金」作為意義組成部分，並以「昔」作為聲音組成部分；「昔」字包含「日」與「仌」兩個部件。在字義上，「錯」代表錯誤、不正確。

「綜」字包含「糸」作為意義組成部分，並以「宗」作為聲音組成部分。其字義為聚集、匯集或組合在一起。「複」字包含「衣」作為意義組成部分，並以「复」作為聲音組成部分，指代有襯裡的衣服。「雜」字包含「衣」作為意義組成部分，並以「集」作為聲音組成部分，意指雜亂或混合。其中「集」字由「隹」與「木」組成。

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

Lineage

  • characterChinese錯 “wrong; erroneous; incorrect”
    • meaningChinese金 “copper (Cu)”
    • soundChinese昔 “former times; the past; long ago; ancient times”
      • soundChinese龷
      • ideaChinese仌 “ice”
      • meaningChinese日 “Sun”
  • characterChinese綜 “to put together; to assemble; to gather”
    • meaningChinese糸 “thin silk”
    • soundChinese宗 “ancestral temple”
      • ideaChinese宀 “a type of deep house with walls on all four sides, a roof, a main hall, and back rooms”
      • ideaChinese示 “to show; to reveal; to indicate; to notify; to instruct”
  • characterChinese複 “lined garment”
    • meaningChinese衣 “garment; clothes; clothing (Classifier: 件)”
    • soundChinese复 “to go back”
  • characterChinese雜 “miscellaneous; mixed”
    • soundChinese集 “to collect; to gather”
      • ideaChinese隹 “short-tailed bird”
      • ideaChinese木 “tree; woody plant”
Wiktionary etymology text

No etymology text yet. The graph shows what is known from the sources.

Meanings

phrase
  1. tangled and complicated; intricate

國語辭典 definitions

  1. 形容事態繁亂，不易處理。 例：這件案子內情錯綜複雜，法官耗費不少時日才理出頭緒。

© Ministry of Education, Taiwan — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW, shown unaltered.

Sources

  • etymagent (local gemma4:26b) — Generated
  • 教育部《國語辭典簡編本》 (Taiwan MOE) — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW
  • Written form — n/a
  • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0