  Properties of the scale-factor matrices forming a bridge between the mesonic
fields of chiral Lagrangians and quark-level structures of QCD sum-rules are
reviewed. The scale-factor matrices combined with mixing angles provide a
physical projection of a QCD correlation function matrix that disentangles the
mesonic states. This methodology is illustrated for the isotriplet
$a_0(980)$-$a_0(1450)$ system, and the scale factors are determined from the
combined inputs of QCD sum-rules and chiral Lagrangians. The resulting scale
factors are shown to be in good agreement with the vacuum expectation values in
the chiral Lagrangian framework. The sensitivity of the scale factors on the
gluon condensate QCD sum-rule parameter is explored.
