即 ji2 namely, i.e., prompt, at once, present, even if, to approach, come into contact, assume office, draw near

This character
即 depicts the idea of a person approaching the dinner pot, i.e. the ideas of Approach, Meet, even Await, or, I guess, also Serve, Reverent. It just means what it shows! Couldn’t be easier! Except:
European words are never so broad in their usages. European words are much more univocal, this isn’t a shades of meaning or even different meanings rather it’s the fact we’re seeing an entire rather complex sequence in the Chinese character (approaching the table reverently there is food on it, others are presumably there too, are we not to serve them somehow; we are, since the character on the right shows him kneeling).

This one character would have at least three different words (and all their synonyms) in any European language.

I love it but it is complex and sufficiently different and this at the level of basic vocabular and conceptualization of words.