The word 眼熟 is formed by combining the character for "eye" (眼) with the character for "familiar" or "ripe" (熟), creating a vivid mental image where the act of seeing with one's eyes directly connects to a sense of recognition. It metaphorically suggests that something is so familiar that your eyes themselves feel acquainted with it, as if the visual memory is stored and instantly accessed through the very organ of sight, blending sensory perception with experienced knowledge.