采

See also: 埰, 採, and 釆

采 U+91C7, 采 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-91C7 ← 釆 [U+91C6] CJK Unified Ideographs 釈 → [U+91C8]

Translingual

Han character

采 (Kangxi radical 165, 釆+1, 8 strokes, cangjie input 月木 (BD), four-corner 2090₄, composition ⿱爫木)

Derived characters

• 𤔁, 倸, 𨺉, 㥒, 䣋, 啋, 埰, 婇, 寀, 彩, 採, 𡸯, 𣶶, 𤟖, 䐆, 棌, 𣈄, 𤊕, 𤚀, 𥚖, 睬, 𤷕, 𬎱, 綵, (䌽), 菜, 𨤔, 𫆇, 踩, 𧳥, 𨨫, 𩓰, 䰂

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1290, character 6
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 40116
• Dae Jaweon: page 1790, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3898, character 2
• Unihan data for U+91C7

Chinese

simp. and trad.		采

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 采
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (采) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
采	*sʰɯːʔ
睬	*sʰɯːʔ
彩	*sʰɯːʔ
採	*sʰɯːʔ
綵	*sʰɯːʔ
寀	*sʰɯːʔ
菜	*sʰɯːs
埰	*sʰɯːs
棌	*sʰɯːs

Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意). Two forms can be found in oracle bone script:

1. 爪 (“hand”) + 果 (“fruit”) – a hand (爪) picking fruits from a tree (果 (guǒ)).
2. 爪 (“hand”) + 木 (“tree”) – a hand (爪) picking from a tree (木 (mù)).

The current glyph is of composition 2.

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Several etymologies have been proposed:

• From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tsa-n (“child; grandchild; nephew; niece”), whence Tibetan བཙའ (btsa', “to fruit, bear, bring forth”), བཙས (btsas, “to harvest, to reap”), possibly as well as 才 (OC *zlɯː, *zlɯːs), 子 (OC *ʔslɯʔ) (STEDT; Schuessler, 2007);
• Related to Tibetan ཚོད་མ (tshod ma, “vegetables”) (Schuessler, 2007);
• Related to 穡 (OC *s.rək, “to reap; harvest”) (Baxter, 1992; Sagart, 1999; Baxter and Sagart, 2014).

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cǎi (cai³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): coi²
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chhái
• Eastern Min (BUC): chāi
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chhái

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cǎi
    • Zhuyin: ㄘㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cǎi
    • Wade–Giles: tsʻai³
    • Yale: tsǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsae
    • Palladius: цай (caj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaɪ̯²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: coi²
    • Yale: chói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsoi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: coi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɔːi̯³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhái
    • Hakka Romanization System: cai^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: cai³
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰai̯³¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: chāi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰai³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhái
    • Tâi-lô: tshái
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zhae
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sʰai⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰai⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰai⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰai⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰai⁴¹/

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• Middle Chinese: tshojX

Rime
Character	采
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	清 (14)
Final (韻)	咍 (41)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	倉宰切
Baxter	tshojX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sʰʌiX/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sʰəiX/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sʰɒiX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sʰəjX/
Li Rong	/t͡sʰᴀiX/
Wang Li	/t͡sʰɒiX/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡sʰɑ̆iX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	cǎi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	coi2

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*s.r̥ˤəʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*sʰɯːʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	采	采
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	cǎi	cǎi
Middle Chinese	‹ tshojX ›	‹ tshojX ›
Old Chinese	/*s.r̥ˁəʔ/	/*s.r̥ˁəʔ/
English	gather, pluck	colorful
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	采
Reading #	1/1
No.	1070
Phonetic component	采
Rime group	之
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	采
Old Chinese	/*sʰɯːʔ/

Definitions

采

1. to pick; to pluck; to gather; to collect

   alt. forms: 採 / 采 (cǎi)

2. to pick; to choose; to select

   alt. forms: 採 / 采 (cǎi)

3. to mine; to dig

   alt. forms: 採 / 采 (cǎi)

4. to drag; to pull

   alt. forms: 採 / 采 (cǎi)

5. color

   alt. forms: 綵 / 彩 (cǎi), 彩 (cǎi)

6. colored silk

   alt. forms: 綵 / 彩 (cǎi), 彩 (cǎi)

7. literary talent

   alt. forms: 彩 (cǎi), 綵 / 彩 (cǎi)

   文采  ―  wéncǎi  ―  literary talent

8. luster

   alt. forms: 彩 (cǎi)

9. beautiful in words but poor in content; using colorful language to cover up flaws
10. expression; spirit; complexion

    興高采烈／兴高采烈  ―  xìnggāocǎiliè  ―  elated

11. wager; stake

    alt. forms: 彩 (cǎi)

12. lucky (in gambling)

    alt. forms: 彩 (cǎi)

13. oak

    alt. forms: 棌

    采椽  ―  cǎichuán  ―  oak

14. to heed; to pay attention to

    alt. forms: 睬 (cǎi), 採 / 采 (cǎi), 倸 (cǎi)

15. official position

    alt. forms: 寀 / 采

16. vine; creeper
17. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) thing
18. to exploit; to gain

    alt. forms: 採 / 采 (cǎi)

19. to accept

    alt. forms: 採 / 采 (cǎi)

20. currency
21. tomb
22. a surname

Compounds

• 下采
• 不大精采
• 不討采
• 不采
• 丰采 (fēngcǎi)
• 五采
• 偢采
• 儷采
• 光采 (guāngcǎi)
• 喝倒采 (hèdàocǎi)
• 喝采 (hècǎi)
• 多姿多采
• 多采多姿 (duōcǎi-duōzī)
• 大放異采
• 大采
• 尼采 (Nícǎi)
• 展采
• 干名采譽
• 得采
• 情采
• 捋采
• 文采 (wéncǎi)
• 文采風流
• 有采
• 樵采 (qiáocǎi)
• 氣揚采飛 / 气扬采飞
• 沒精打采 (méijīngdǎcǎi)
• 沒采
• 無精打采 (wújīngdǎcǎi)
• 異采 (yìcǎi)
• 發采揚明 / 发采扬明
• 神采 (shéncǎi)
• 神采奕奕 (shéncǎi yìyì)
• 神采奕然
• 神采煥發 / 神采焕发
• 神采英拔
• 神采飛揚 / 神采飞扬 (shéncǎifēiyáng)
• 神采駿發 / 神采骏发
• 符采
• 精采 (jīngcǎi)
• 精采絕倫 / 精采绝伦
• 納采
• 結采
• 興高采烈 (xìnggāocǎiliè)
• 舉手可采
• 葑菲之采
• 藍采和
• 蟠采
• 衣不兼采
• 衣不完采
• 衣不重采
• 褒采一介
• 詞采
• 辭采
• 采光剖璞
• 采女 (cǎinǚ)
• 采椽
• 采椽不斲
• 采石之役
• 采石磯
• 采綠
• 采緝
• 采聲
• 采色 (cǎisè)
• 采芑
• 采芹
• 采苓
• 采菽
• 采葛
• 采薇 (cǎiwéi)
• 采薪之憂
• 采薪之疾
• 采蘋
• 采蘩
• 采蘭贈芍 / 采兰赠芍
• 采詩 (cǎishī)
• 采采
• 采頭
• 采風 (cǎifēng)
• 采風錄 / 采风录
• 鏤金錯采 / 镂金错采
• 風采 (fēngcǎi)
• 風采堂堂
• 鹿門采藥 / 鹿门采药

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cài (cai⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄞˋ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cài
    • Zhuyin: ㄘㄞˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cài
    • Wade–Giles: tsʻai⁴
    • Yale: tsài
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsay
    • Palladius: цай (caj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaɪ̯⁵¹/

Definitions

采

1. fief

   alt. forms: 寀 / 采, 埰 (cài)

2. alternative form of 菜 (cài)

Compounds

• 采地 (càidì)
• 采邑 (càiyì)

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 采 – see 採 (“to pick; to pluck; to select; to choose; to pick; etc.”). (This character is the simplified form of 採).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of 采 – see 彩 (“variegated colors; rich and bright colors; etc.”). (This character is the second-round simplified form of 彩).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

References

• “采”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–