疏 通

shū tōngdictionary entry

to unblock / to dredge / to clear the way / to get things flowing / to facilitate / to mediate / to lobby / to explicate (a text)

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-b430925b1b9d56b5. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

疏通 疏通 [shu1 tong1] /to unblock/to dredge/to clear the way/to get things flowing/to facilitate/to mediate/to lobby/to explicate (a text)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

疏
shū
to dredge / to clear away obstruction / thin / sparse / scanty / distant (relation) / not close / to neglect / negligent / to present a memorial to the Emperor / commentary / annotation
Shū
surname Shu
通
tōng
to go through / to know well / (suffix) expert / to connect / to communicate / open / to clear / classifier for letters, telegrams, phone calls etc
tòng
classifier for an activity, taken in its entirety (tirade of abuse, stint of music playing, bout of drinking etc)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.