艮 (gěn)
blunt; tough; chewy
Etymology
Depicts a person looking backwards. Based on the original meaning "look backwards". The modern meaning is a phonetic loan.
Shuowen Jiezi
《說文》：“艮，很也。从匕目。匕目，猶目相匕，不相下也。《易》曰：‘艮其限。匕目為艮，匕目為真也。’”
Original meaning
look backwards
Components
- 目 (iconic) — Depicts an eye.
- 人 (iconic) — Horizontally flipped version of 人, depicts a person looking backwards.