hold in the mouth, contain

含 is composed of 今 (now) and 口 (mouth). 今 originally meant closing the mouth or holding something in the mouth (neither spitting out nor swallowing), but later 今 came to derive other meanings; therefore, 口 was added to create 含, restoring and specifying its original sense of holding something in the mouth, and it also came to mean to contain, hold or accommodate.