不通
bù tōng · HSK 6
to make no sense
🚫 不通 = not + through (bù = not, tōng = pass through)
Compound of 不 (not) + 通 (pass through, connect). Literal sense: a road or pipe that doesn't let anything pass — blocked. Figurative sense: an argument that doesn't 'go through' logically, i.e. makes no sense.
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'.
通 — 辵 (辶) walk + 甬 yǒng (phonetic)
通 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 (chuò) component means 'walk' or 'movement', giving the meaning of going through or passing. 甬 (yǒng), originally depicting a hanging bell or a path, supplies the sound. Together they convey 'to pass through, communicate, connect'.