succeed, inherit, patch, graft (tree)
繼 centers on continuing a line or connection: succeeding a predecessor, inheriting a role or property, or physically joining things together as in patching fabric or grafting a tree.
繼 combines 糸 (thread) with 㡭, a component that itself suggests continuation or connection. The character likely expresses the idea of joining threads together, extending to succession and inheritance.
The left side is thread 糸, and the right side 㡭 looks like a series of connected loops. Picture a thread being knotted to another thread, continuing the line—just as one generation succeeds another or a patch joins torn fabric.
For ケイ, imagine a long line of thread being passed down like a relay baton in a race: the baton is a 'cane' (ケイ) that each runner inherits and passes on.