Комментарии:The character is also read as MC c̣hạ̈j (FQ 楚皆), Mand. chāi 'to choose, select' - although this is most probably a MC dialectal variant of the same word ('choose' = 'make a disinction between').
Another reading of the character, also attested very early, is OC shraj, MC c̣he (FQ 楚宜), Pek. cī, Viet. si 'be graduated, of different length', normally in synonymous compounds: 參差 *shrǝm-shraj, 差池 *shraj-Łaj. Viet. also has a reading sái 'be dislocated; opposed' (pointing to an unattested MC variant c̣hạ̈̀ ?). A later attested reading is *chāj (*shāj), MC châ, mod. cuo 1 to rub = 磋 *chāj to file, polish q.v.