焚烧
fén shāo · HSK 7
to burn
🔥 木木火 on top, burn + burn = incinerate completely
焚 stacks two 木 (wood) over 火 (fire) — wood fueling flames. 烧 adds 火 again with 尧 (yáo). Together they double down: fire consuming wood, then more fire. Total destruction by flame.
烧 — fire radical 火 + 尧 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 火 'fire' gives the meaning 'to burn,' while 尧 (yáo) supplies the sound, shifted to shāo. The right side was simplified from 燒. Core sense 'burn' extended to cooking senses like 'roast' and 'braise.'