纠正
jiūzhèng · HSK 6
correct
✅ untangle (纠) + straight (正) = set things right
纠 comes from the silk radical — tangled threads that need sorting out. 正 means straight or upright. Together: undo the tangle and straighten it out, i.e. correct a mistake.
正 — one 一 + stop 止
Originally an ideograph showing a foot (止) advancing toward a target line (一), meaning 'to march straight toward' a city or goal. From this came the senses 'upright,' 'correct,' and 'proper.' The military sense survives in 征 (to campaign), which took over the original 'march' meaning.