麾

Primarily means “a military flag” — especially the general’s standard or command banner (대장기, 大將旗) used to signal troops. By extension, it also functions as a verb meaning “to wave,” “to command,” or “to direct”, as a general would by waving his flag to issue orders.

Phono-semantic compound formed from:

毛 (털 모) — a variant of 手 (손 수) in this context, indicating movement by hand (the act of waving or holding).

靡 (쓰러질 미) — phonetic component, giving the sound hwi (휘) and implying softness or motion, as of something bending or flowing in the wind.

Together, they depict “a flag being waved by hand”, the symbolic act of commanding or directing troops with a banner.

The fuller ancient form 𪎮 (U+2A3AE) makes this imagery even clearer, showing the hand beneath a flowing banner.

麾下 (휘하) — subordinates under one’s command (“under the general’s flag”)

麾軍 (휘군) — troops under command

麾令 (휘령) — command or signal given by waving a flag

麾兵 (휘병) — to command troops

指麾 (지휘) — to direct; to lead; to conduct (modern word “지휘하다”)

麾節 (휘절) — military insignia or emblem of command

麾帥 (휘수) — commanding general

麾旗 (휘기) — banner; command flag

In ancient Chinese warfare, banners (旗, 旌, 麾) were crucial tools for communication and morale.

Each commanding officer carried a distinct flag whose movements signaled tactical orders — advance, retreat, formation, or attack.

Among these, 麾 specifically referred to the general’s personal standard (大將旗), a large banner often adorned with animal hair or feathers that fluttered visibly across the battlefield.

「將麾以示軍，動若雷霆。」

“The general waved his banner to signal the army, which moved like thunder.”

The verb form of 麾 — to wave or signal — extended naturally into the modern Korean and Chinese verb 지휘하다 (指麾), meaning “to command” or “to direct,” whether of troops, orchestras, or organizations.

In ritual contexts, 麾 also symbolized leadership, presence, and spiritual authority, sometimes appearing in Buddhist texts to describe banners carried in sacred processions.

麾 stands for leadership through visible command — the power to move many through a single gesture.

The waving banner represents clarity, coordination, and unity of purpose, as soldiers follow not the shout but the symbol.

It also came to signify the presence of authority itself: where the general’s flag stood, there stood command, law, and morale.

「麾所在，士卒不亂。」

“Where the banner stands, the soldiers do not falter.”

In literature, 麾 evokes grandeur and discipline — the majestic image of banners fluttering like waves across the battlefield, embodying both might and order.

麾 reminds us that true leadership is the art of guiding without chaos — to direct with clarity, to inspire with presence.

Just as the general’s banner unites an army through one motion,

so does wisdom command hearts through quiet authority.

「不疾而麾，衆自動也。」

“Without haste he waved the banner — and the multitude moved of its own accord.”

Thus, 麾 stands as a timeless emblem of command, harmony, and guiding vision — the strength that leads not by noise, but by signal.