Polycyclic structures with high nitrogen content exhibit great potential in balancing the contradiction between energy and safety of energetic compounds. As an important structural unit for the design of high nitrogen content polycyclic energetic molecules， furazan has the characteristics of good stability， high nitrogen content， high positive enthalpy of formation and good oxygen balance tendency. The design and synthesis of polycyclic energetic compounds containing furazan unit have become a focus that has been studied extensively and deeply in the research field of energetic materials. This review article summarized and evaluated the molecular structures， synthetic methods， physicochemical properties of furazan based polycyclic energetic compounds. Meanwhile， the potential applications of these compounds in high energy and low sensitivity explosives， heat-resistant explosives and primary explosives were also prospected， providing a reference for the design and synthesis of new polycyclic energetic compounds.