堠 (hòu) - Ancient military watchtower or lookout post & milestone or distance marker along ancient roads.

堠Tone 4

hòu ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

堠 · hòu

Ancient military watchtower or lookout post;

milestone or distance marker along ancient roads.

Ancient military watchtower or lookout postmilestone or distance marker along ancient roads.

Usage highlights

WatchtowerBeacon towerBorder lookoutRoad markerDistance markerMilitary outpost

Synonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The soldiers manned the watchtower (烽堠).
  • This ancient road marker (路堠) indicates the distance to the capital.
  • They built a border lookout (边堠) to monitor enemy movements.
  • The historical site features a well-preserved beacon tower (斥堠).

Collocations

  • Watchtower(烽堠)
  • Beacon tower(斥堠)
  • Border lookout(边堠)
  • Road marker(路堠)
  • Distance marker(里堠)
  • Military outpost(候堠)

Idioms

  • To set up markers along the road(置堠道旁)
  • The beacon tower stands tall(堠台高耸)
  • Marking the miles and watching the border(记里候边)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Used in ancient Chinese military defense systems as observation posts and signaling stations.
  • Served as distance markers along imperial roads during the Tang and Song dynasties.
  • Represents the sophisticated communication and transportation infrastructure of ancient China.

FAQ