误差

• Pinyin: wù chā
• Hanzi breakdown: 误 = 讠+ 吴 (speech + phonetic component — to err, mistake); 差 = 羊 + 工 (sheep + work — discrepancy, difference)

Meaning

Error; deviation; the difference between a measured or calculated value and the true or accepted value.

A fundamental concept in science, engineering, statistics, and quality control. Encompasses 系统误差 (systematic error) and 随机误差 (random error). Distinct from 错误 (mistake) in that 误差 implies quantifiable, often unavoidable deviation rather than a fault or blunder.

Examples

1. 这台精密仪器的测量误差被控制在百分之零点一以内，满足了实验室的高精度要求。 The measurement error of this precision instrument is kept within 0.1%, meeting the lab’s high-accuracy requirements.
2. 统计学研究表明，抽样调查中不可避免地存在一定程度的抽样误差，需在数据分析时加以修正。 Statistical studies show that sampling surveys inevitably have a certain degree of sampling error, which must be adjusted for during data analysis.
3. 工程师在验收报告中指出，该建筑物各承重结构的尺寸误差均在规定的容差范围之内。 In the inspection report, the engineer noted that the dimensional errors of all load-bearing structures in the building were within the specified tolerance range.

Usage Guide

Context: science, engineering, statistics, quality control, measurement

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 调查采用分层随机抽样，并控制好抽样误差，使全国城镇居民收入数据更可靠，也更具代表性。(The survey used stratified random sampling and controlled the sampling error well, making the income data for urban residents nationwide more reliable and more representative.)
• 深空探测中积累的微小导航误差若不及时修正，会随距离迅速放大，最终让探测器偏离目标数万公里。(If the tiny navigation errors accumulated in deep-space exploration are not corrected in time, they will quickly grow with distance and eventually cause the probe to miss its target by tens of thousands of kilometers.)

Don't Say

• 误差 interchangeably with 错误 — 误差 is a quantifiable, often unavoidable deviation measured against a standard, while 错误 is a fault or mistake attributable to human error or incorrect judgment; a calculation can have 误差 without anyone making an 错误

Origin & History

误 (error, mistake) + 差 (difference, discrepancy) — erroneous difference; a deviation or discrepancy from the correct value

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal