不过
búguò · HSK 2
however
🚫 不 (not) + 过 (pass) = doesn't pass → but, however
不过 literally means 'not passing/exceeding', which softened into 'however' or 'only'. Think of it as a verbal hedge: the first clause doesn't quite pass without a caveat.
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'.
过 — 辶 walk radical + 呙 (phonetic)
过 combines the walking radical 辶, suggesting motion or passage, with 呙 serving as the phonetic component. Originally it depicted crossing or passing by on foot, which extended to meanings like 'to pass,' 'to cross over,' and later 'past' or 'excessive.' The simplified form replaces the traditional 過.