不利
búlì · HSK 5
unfavorable
⛔ 不 (not) + 利 (benefit) = not beneficial = unfavorable
不 negates and 利 means benefit or advantage (originally a knife 刂 cutting grain 禾, i.e. profit from harvest). Together: not-profitable, working against you.
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'.
利 — grain 禾 + knife 刂
Originally a pictograph showing a knife (刂) cutting grain (禾), depicting harvest. From the idea of a sharp blade reaping crops, it extended to mean 'sharp,' then 'benefit,' 'profit,' or 'advantage' — the gain that comes from a successful harvest.