疏通

shūtōng

verb HSK 7-9 #23,165

Meanings

1 to unblock; to dredge; to clear
2 to facilitate; to mediate; to lobby

Characters

to dredge; to clear

to pass through; unobstructed

Examples

工人正在疏通下水道。

Gōngrén zhèngzài shūtōng xiàshuǐdào.

Workers are unclogging the sewer.

他帮忙疏通了两个部门之间的关系。

Tā bāngmáng shūtōng le liǎng gè bùmén zhījiān de guānxì.

He helped smooth things over between the two departments.

Tips

usage

疏通 vs 疏导: 疏通 focuses on removing a blockage (pipes, relationships), while 疏导 focuses on redirecting flow (traffic, emotions).

Stroke Order

疏 shū

通 tōng