TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
眼
眼 ＝ 目 ＋ 艮
ㄧㄢˇ · yǎn
noun — eye
字源 FORM — what the parts do
艮聲gèn — gives the sound
IFT≠gèn → yǎn — the 艮 series scatters: 根 gēn、銀 yín、很 hěn、限 xiàn
The eye radical (目) with 艮 for sound — the spoken word for the eye, while 目 stayed in print. 艮 wears differently across its whole series: 根、銀、很、限 each took their own turn. Anything eye-shaped is an 眼 too: 泉眼 a spring's mouth, 字眼 the telling word.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
夜路上燈一照，草叢裡一雙眼（目）亮了一下。
On the night road the lamp swings past, and in the grass a pair of eyes (目) flashes back.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)眼睛— the eye常用
→眼光、眼力— an eye for things — judgment
→泉眼、字眼— a small opening — anything eye-shaped
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension