Wu Collection, Middle Volume Radical: Sickness (bìng) Character: Chai Kangxi stroke count: 15 Page 778, Entry 22 Pronounced cuo (level tone). Shuowen Jiezi (Explanation of Simple and Compound Characters): To recover from illness. Guangyun (Broad Rhymes): Illness. Book of Odes (Shijing), Lesser Odes of the Kingdom: Heaven is currently causing frequent illness. Commentary: Chai means illness. Zuo Zhuan (Chronicle of Zuo), 19th Year of Duke Zhao: Our ruler's few ministers have been struck by plague, illness, and premature death. Annotation: A minor plague is called chai. Also pronounced jie (level tone). Meaning is the same. Also pronounced cha (falling-rising tone). Yupian (Jade Chapters): To recover from illness. Boya (Broad Refinement): Chai means to recover. Also pronounced cha (falling tone). Meaning is the same. Originally written as a variant form. Textual research: In the Zuo Zhuan (Chronicle of Zuo), 17th Year of Duke Zhao, it refers to the entry regarding our ruler's few ministers struck by plague, illness, and premature death. According to the original text, the 17th year has been corrected to the 19th year.