mìng

Traditional: 命

#1370 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

life, fate, to order

Word origin

A compound of 令 (lìng, to command) with 口 (kǒu, mouth) added, originally meaning a command issued aloud, and by extension the destiny or life decreed for a person.

Origin
compound
Root
令 (lìng, command) + 口 (kǒu, mouth)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 命

Examples

The doctor saved his life.

This is simply fate.

He nearly lost his life.

The general ordered the soldiers to advance.

A person's fate is hard to foresee.

命 (mìng) means life, fate, or to order. It is used for one's existence, one's destiny, and the giving of commands.

Appears in 4 words

Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 命.

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This word is part of lesson 28.