About
The character "烽" is structurally composed of the radical "火" for fire and the phonetic element "夆", which together form a phono-semantic compound historically centered on the concept of beacon fires used for military communication. Its etymology points directly to its original function as a signal fire lit on towers to warn of approaching forces or to relay messages across territorial frontiers, a system employed extensively in earlier periods for defense coordination. Over time, the meaning of "烽" extended from the physical fire to include the resultant smoke and the alarm signal as a whole, thereby becoming a metonym for military alertness and the imminence of conflict. This semantic broadening is evident in classical compounds like "烽火" and "烽烟", which often carry metaphorical weight in literature, symbolizing war and disturbance while maintaining the character's foundational link to vigilant signaling through fiery displays.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
烽火用来传递消息。
古代战争常点烽火。
山上的烽火台很古老。
士兵们守卫着烽火台。
当烽烟升起时，人们就知道敌人来了。
烽火照亮了黑暗的夜空。
如果烽火信号被误解，可能会导致严重的后果。
烽火系统在古代通信中扮演了关键角色。