Chinese word

下令

Pronunciation

Pinyinxià lìng

Meaning

  • verborder

Example

上司下令我们今天加班。shàng sī xià lìng wǒ men jīn tiān jiā bān

The supervisor ordered us to work overtime today.

Illustration for 下令 (order)

More examples

政府下令居民立即撤离危险区域。zhèng fǔ xià lìng jū mín lì jí chè lí wēi xiǎn qū yù

The government ordered residents to evacuate the dangerous area immediately.

Core concept

A decision travels from an authority to the people who must act on it.

Common phrases

  • 下令撤离xià lìng chè lí

    order an evacuation

  • 对员工下令duì yuán gōng xià lìng

    order employees

Similar words

命令mìng lìng: Order people to obey by using authority or a position of power.
指挥zhǐ huī: Direct and control the movements or actions of people or a group.
指示zhǐ shì: Give instructions about what action to take or how to carry out a task.
下达xià dá: Officially deliver a decision or order to people in lower positions.

Definition in Chinese

向被命令者发布正式或具有权威性的命令或指示。xiàng bèi mìng lìng zhě fā bù zhèng shì huò jù yǒu quán wēi xìng de mìng lìng huò zhǐ shì

Word origin

下 (xià, "down") + 令 (lìng, "order") describes an order handed down by someone in a higher position.

Usage tips

  • The verb suits reports about governments, public offices, and organizations, but it can sound too forceful for a friendly everyday request.

Other meanings

  • issue an orderverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word