look back, concern, family

眷 is composed of 龹(roll) above and 目(eye) below. 龹 depicts the action of two hands kneading and rolling cooked rice into a ball, conveying the idea of turning or looking back, while 目 means eye or to gaze; thus the original meaning of 眷 is to turn the head and look back. When people care deeply about their family, they cannot help but pay extra attention and, even after leaving home, will repeatedly turn back for another glance. For this reason, 眷 also came to mean to care for, to cherish, or to refer to family members.