Комментарии:The character is used for three different words:
1) *srǝm, MC ṣim (FQ 所今), Mand. shēn, Viet. sâm 'name of a constellation of seven stars, Orion'. This is the basic meaning of the graph as defined in Shuowen (although Shuowen's considering ** as phonetic is certainly erroneous: the phonetic is most probably 三 *sǝ̄m). (also used in the plant name: 人參 'ginseng').
2) *shǝ̄m, MC chлm, Mand. cān 'be a unit of three, be threefold; to accumulate ( < *'to gather a threesome unit'?)'. This word is most obviously related etymologically to 三 *sǝ̄m 'three' q.v.
3) *shrǝm, MC c̣him (FQ 楚簪), Mand. cēn 'be uneven, irregular'. This reading is used in the compound 參差 *shrǝm-shraj 'be graduated, of different length'.