Character: 采
Modern (Beijing) reading: cǎi
Preclassic Old Chinese: shǝ̄ʔ
Classic Old Chinese: shǝ̄́
Western Han Chinese: shǝ̄́
Eastern Han Chinese: shǝ̄́
Early Postclassic Chinese: shǝ̄́
Middle Postclassic Chinese: shǝ̄́
Late Postclassic Chinese: chǝ̄́j
Middle Chinese: chʌ́j
English meaning : to gather, pluck
Russian meaning[s]: 1) разноцветный, цветной, вм. 彩; 2) выбирать; собирать, срывать, вм. 採; 3) Цай (фамилия)
Shuowen gloss: 捋取也.從木.從爪.
Comments: Also read cài, MC chл̀j, OC *shǝ̄ʔ-s 'appanage' (Sch.: "what is plucked"). The graph is used also for a number of homonymous words:
1) *shǝ̄ʔ 'color, pigment';
2) *shǝ̄ʔ 'affairs, tasks, works';
3) *shǝ̄ʔ 'name of part of the day' (around 8 am).
Radical: 165
Four-angle index: 5275
Karlgren code: 0942 a-c
Shijing occurrences: 1.3_, 8.1_, 8.2, 8.3, 13.1, 13.2, 14.2, 14.3, 15.1, 35.1, 48.1, 48.2, 48.3, 54.3
