联

Left radical 耳 (ear) anchors 联 in the original meaning: ears strung together. In ancient warfare, 联 (originally 聯) referred to the practice of stringing severed ears as battle-trophies — gruesome imagery preserved etymologically though the meaning has long shifted to 'connect, link, ally'. Same 耳 radical in 听 (listen), 聪 (clever-eared), 职 (official position).

Right element 关 here is the simplified replacement for the original 丱-and-絲 phonetic of 聯 (ears strung on threads). Modern 关 stands in graphically — its sound guān no longer matches lián, but it serves as the indexing right-side. Same 关 substitution appears in 联 alone; learners should not over-read the 'gateway' meaning into 联.