烽

A phono-semantic compound composed of:

火 (fire) — semantic component, indicating burning or flame

夆 (끌 봉) — phonetic component, providing the sound "bong"

In ancient China and Korea, 烽 referred specifically to signal fires lit on watchtowers, mountains, or fortifications to transmit urgent military information, such as enemy invasion.

During the Zhou, Qin, and Han periods, beacon systems using smoke by day and fire by night were widely employed. The character 烽 thus became closely associated with border defense, warfare, and emergency communication.

烽火 (봉화) — beacon fire; military signal fire

烽臺 (봉대) — beacon tower

烽燧 (봉수) — beacon-fire system (historical term)

烽煙 (봉연) — smoke of beacon fires; metaphor for war

烽警 (봉경) — emergency military alarm (rare, literary)

烽 should not be confused with general “fire” characters; it refers specifically to military signaling.

The compound 烽火 has become a fixed literary expression meaning war or state of emergency, even when no actual beacon fires are involved.

In Korean history, beacon fire 봉수(烽燧) systems played a crucial role in long-distance communication during the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties.

Modern usage is mostly historical, metaphorical, or literary, not colloquial.

Related characters:

火 — fire

煙 — smoke

燧 — flint fire; signal fire

警 — alarm, alert

In classical literature, 烽火 often symbolizes war, national crisis, and prolonged conflict, not merely the literal signal fire.

《杜甫·春望》 (Du Fu's "Spring View")

「烽火連三月，家書抵萬金。」

"Beacon fires burned for three months in succession; a letter from home was worth ten thousand pieces of gold."

「邊城一夜起烽火。」

"In one night, beacon fires rose from the border fortress."

「烽火不息，兵戈未休。」

"As long as beacon fires do not cease, warfare will not end."