noun
minerals and rocks; metal and stone
Refers to hard, durable natural substances; also used figuratively for something firm and unchanging, as in 金石の交わり (a firm friendship).
この地域からは古代の金石が多数出土している。
Many ancient metal and stone artifacts have been excavated from this area.
二人の友情は
Their friendship is so firm it could be called a bond of metal and stone.
noun
epigraph; inscription on metal or stone
Specifically refers to inscriptions carved on metal or stone monuments, stelae, or tablets; a somewhat literary or historical term.
この石碑の金石文は解読が難しい。
The epigraph on this stone monument is difficult to decipher.