差错

• Pinyin: chā cuò
• Hanzi breakdown: 差 = 𦍋 + 工; 错 = 钅(metal) + 昔 (phonetic)

Meaning

Error; mistake; mishap. An unintended slip or discrepancy.

More formal and serious than 错误 in many contexts. Often implies a procedural or operational error with potential consequences. Common in aviation, medicine, finance, and logistics. Also used in 出差错 (to make an error / something goes wrong).

Examples

1. 医院的用药管理流程必须严格执行，绝不允许出现任何差错。 Medication management procedures in hospitals must be strictly followed — absolutely no errors of any kind can be allowed.
2. 账务核对时发现了一处差错，经查是由于数据录入时的笔误所致。 An error was found during account reconciliation; investigation showed it was caused by a transcription mistake during data entry.
3. 他做事一向细致周全，很少出现差错，深受上司信任。 He has always been meticulous and thorough in his work, rarely making errors, and is deeply trusted by his superiors.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, finance, work, logistics, quality control

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 这道工序关系到整个产品的质量，操作人员必须全神贯注，不容有丝毫差错。(This process affects the quality of the entire product — operators must be fully focused and no margin of error is tolerable.)
• 报告提交前请再检查一遍，确保数据没有差错。(Please check the report once more before submitting to make sure there are no errors in the data.)

Don't Say

• 这首歌唱出了很多差错。(差错 is for procedural or factual errors; for singing mistakes use 唱错了 or 跑调)

Origin & History

差 (discrepancy, deviation) + 错 (mistake, error). Together they describe a deviation from correctness.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal