Chinese word

命

Pronunciation

Pinyinmìng

Meaning

  • nounlife

Example

他差点儿丧了命。tā chà diǎnr sàng le mìng

He almost lost his life.

Illustration for 命 (life)

More examples

他的命运在那次决定后完全改变了。tā de mìng yùn zài nà cì jué dìng hòu wán quán gǎi biàn le

His fate changed completely after that decision.

Core concept

The living span granted to a person, along with the unseen course that determines how that span unfolds.

Common phrases

  • 性命xìng mìng

    life

  • 丧命sàng mìng

    lose one's life

  • 命运mìng yùn

    fate

Similar words

生命shēng mìng: Life as the state or condition of being alive.
寿命shòu mìng: The amount of time that a person or living thing lives.
命运mìng yùn: The way a person's future unfolds through fate or outside forces.
性命xìng mìng: A person's life when danger makes survival the main concern.

Definition in Chinese

指人的生命与其长短，也可指由外在力量或天意安排的命运，常用于表示失去生命或讨论寿命的搭配中。zhǐ rén de shēng mìng yǔ qí cháng duǎn yě kě zhǐ yóu wài zài lì liàng huò tiān yì ān pái de mìng yùn cháng yòng yú biǎo shì shī qù shēng mìng huò tǎo lùn shòu mìng de dā pèi zhōng

Word origin

The older sense of 命 (mìng, "life") is an official order or decree, and a person's life came to be understood as a decree or allotment from heaven, leading to the sense of fate.

Usage tips

  • English usually separates a person's life from their fate, but Chinese connects them through this noun when the focus is what has been allotted to that person.

Other meanings

  • fatenoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word