The story of 臤

worthy, firm

臤 is composed of 臣(official) and 又(also). 臣 depicts an eye which is widely open, while 又is the picture of a hand, so 臤 depicts someone staring at something while grabbing it at the same time. Good eyesight means higher ability, so you can get more, but such meaning has been replaced by 賢. In addition, you can grab something firmly if you stare at it, but such meaning has been replaced by 堅 and 緊, now we seldom use 臤.