Usage note
通表示通畅、通过。
tōng biǎo shì tōng chàng 、 tōng guò。
Pass through means to be smooth or to pass through.
Context note
通常用于道路、消息和联系。
tōng cháng yòng yú dào lù 、 xiāo xī hé lián xì。
Pass through often appears with roads, messages, and communication.
5 examples
路通了。
lù tōng le。
The road is open.
他通了电话。
tā tōng le diàn huà。
He made the call.
这个词我还不通。
zhè ge cí wǒ hái bù tōng。
I do not fully understand this word yet.
消息已经通了。
xiāo xī yǐ jīng tōng le。
The message has been passed on.
这里通车了。
zhè lǐ tōng chē le。
Traffic can pass here now.
5 mini stories
这条路今天终于通了。
zhè tiáo lù jīn tiān zhōng yú tōng le。
This road finally opened today.
他通电话后就出门了。
tā tōng diàn huà hòu jiù chū mén le。
After making the call, he went out.
老师说把意思弄通就好了。
lǎo shī shuō bǎ yì sī nòng tōng jiù hǎo le。
The teacher said it is fine once you understand the meaning.
这里通风很好。
zhè lǐ tōng fēng hěn hǎo。
This place has good ventilation.
消息很快就通到了大家那里。
xiāo xī hěn kuài jiù tōng dào le dà jiā nà lǐ。
The news quickly reached everyone.
Mini dialogue
堵车了
A
前面好像堵车了，路不通。
Qiánmiàn hǎoxiàng dǔchē le, lù bù tōng.
It seems there's a traffic jam ahead; the road is blocked.
B
那我们换一条路走吧，那条路应该通。
Nà wǒmen huàn yì tiáo lù zǒu ba, nà tiáo lù yīnggāi tōng.
Then let's take another road; that road should be clear.
电话打不通
A
我给妈妈打电话，但是一直打不通。
Wǒ gěi māma dǎ diànhuà, dànshì yìzhí dǎ bù tōng.
I called Mom, but I couldn't get through.
B
可能信号不好，过一会儿再打就能通了。
Kěnéng xìnhào bù hǎo, guò yíhuìr zài dǎ jiù néng tōng le.
Maybe the signal is bad. Try calling again later and it might go through.
Related words and contrasts
opposite
堵
dǔ
blocked
The opposite of 通, meaning something is blocked or clogged.
similar
通顺
tōng shùn
smooth, fluent
Describes language or writing that flows smoothly.