不久
bù jiǔ · HSK 2
soon
⏳ 不久 = not + long (time); 'not long' until it happens = soon
不 = not, negation marker. 久 = a long time, long duration. Together 'not long [from now]' = soon, before too long. Same 久 appears in 永久 (forever) and 长久 (long-lasting).
不 — single pictograph; bird flying upward
Originally a pictograph in oracle bone script, traditionally interpreted as a bird flying up toward the sky and unable to come down, suggesting negation or refusal. Over time it became the standard negation word in Chinese, used before verbs and adjectives to mean 'not'.
久 — person 人 with a stroke marking the back
Originally a pictograph showing a person from behind with a mark indicating moxibustion treatment applied to the back, the original sense of 'cauterize' (now written 灸). It was borrowed phonetically to mean 'long time' or 'enduring,' which became its standard meaning.