经 (traditional 經) is silk 纟 strung as the warp — the long threads a loom holds taut while the shuttle weaves through. The warp runs the whole length of the cloth: hence 'to pass through', and hence the canonical books that run the length of a civilization.
经 threads through everything: 已经 (already), 经常 (frequently), 经过 (pass by), 经验 (experience — what you've passed through). As 'classic' it names the canon: 易经 (I Ching), 道德经 (Dao De Jing), 佛经 (sutras). Business runs on 经济 (economy) and 经理 (manager). One loom-thread, holding scripture, commerce and grammar together.
The warp threads 纟 running the whole cloth — PASS THROUGH; the books that run through time: CLASSICS.
经济 (economy) abbreviates 经世济民 — 'managing the world to help the people'. Economics, the Confucian mission statement.