不利
ふり · furi · JLPT N3 · noun
disadvantage
不利 = not (不) + advantage (利): no edge, so a drawback
利 means benefit or profit, as in 利益 (rieki, profit) and 便利 (benri, convenient). Put 不 in front and the benefit is cancelled, which leaves you at a disadvantage.
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.