The ministers lined up to be received by the emperor.
Tips
history
Per the Rites of Zhou (《周礼》), 觐 specifically referred to feudal lords' autumn audience with the king, a different season had a different name. By later dynasties the meaning generalized to any formal audience with a sovereign or pilgrimage to a holy place.
usage
Almost always seen as 觐见 (jìnjiàn, 'to be received in audience') in modern usage. Standalone 觐 is purely classical.
Right 见, an eye 目 over walking legs 儿, picturing a person actively looking. As the indexing radical it carries the meaning: 觐 is a ceremonial seeing, paying respects to a sovereign or holy site. Same radical powers 视 to view, 观 to observe, 览 to inspect.
Left 堇 supplies the sound, jǐn shifting to jìn through a tone change. The same phonetic frames a tight family: 谨 cautious, 勤 diligent, 瑾 fine jade, all sharing the jǐn/jìn reading. Adds no semantic content here, borrowed purely for sound.
