不论
búlùn · HSK 3
no matter how/who/what/etc.
不 (not) + 论 (discuss) = not up for discussion → regardless
不 negates and 论 means to discuss or debate. Together: the matter is not subject to debate, so it applies in every case — no matter who, what, or how. Often pairs with 都 later in the sentence.
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'.