TSUMUGU · TOCFL B2 (est.) · 字
耽
耽 ＝ 耳 ＋ 冘
ㄉㄢ · dān
verb — to indulge in; to delay
字源 FORM — what the parts do
冘聲yín — gives the sound
IFyín → dān — initial and final both reshaped
An ear (耳) hanging low — 說文 reads it as a drooping earlobe. 冘 yín carries the sound, worn toward dān. The everyday senses borrowed the graph: to sink into something, to indulge (耽溺), and so to let time slip (耽誤).
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
耳（耳）垂得低低的，人也沉進去，忘了時間。
The ear (耳) hangs low, and the man sinks in with it — losing track of the hour.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)耳垂— a drooping earlobe
→耽溺、耽於— to sink into; to be absorbed in常用
⇒耽誤— to delay — time let slip
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
眈dānthe lookalike — 眈 watches with 目 (an eye), 耽 hangs from (an ear)