forge, wrought

鍛 is composed of 金 (metal) and 段 (segment). 金 refers to metal, while 段 visually depicts using a hammer to strike rock. Raw metal obtained after smelting contains impurities and must be repeatedly beaten and hammered at high temperatures to expel those impurities and produce high-purity metal—thus using 鍛 to represent the process of forging metal.