融通
ゆうずう · yuuzuu · JLPT N1 · noun
finance
🦎🪙 融 = melt/blend + 通 = pass through: flexible enough to bend, and money that flows between people
融 means melt or blend, and 通 means pass through. Something that melts and passes through adapts to any shape. Money that passes from one person to another is a loan, which is the finance sense.
融 — 鬲 (tripod cauldron) + 虫 (insect/worm)
Originally depicted steam rising from a 鬲 (ritual cooking cauldron), with 虫 likely a phonetic component. The image of vapor blending into the air gave rise to meanings of 'melt,' 'blend,' and 'harmonize.' Modern senses extend to financial 'circulation' as in 金融.
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'.