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听天由命 (tīng tiān yóu mìng) — to be resigned to one's fate; to let things take their course

Definition

A chengyu meaning to give up control and accept whatever fate brings — a resigned, passive stance. Conveys hopelessness or helplessness, stronger than simply 'letting things be'.

idiom
to be resigned to one's fateto let things take their course

Examples

  • ，听天由命。
    Tā jué de zì jǐ yǐ jīng jìn lì le, shèng xià de zhǐ néng tīng tiān yóu mìng.
    He feels he has done his best; for the rest, he can only resign to fate.
  • ，听天由命。
    Zài nà zhǒng qíng kuàng xià, wǒ men chú le tīng tiān yóu mìng bié wú xuǎn zé.
    In that situation, we had no choice but to let fate decide.
  • 听天由命，。
    Tā bú yuàn yì tīng tiān yóu mìng, hái zài xiǎng bàn fǎ.
    He doesn't want to resign to fate; he is still thinking of ways.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

听天listen to heaven
听tīnglisten天tiānheaven
动宾Verb + object
由命follow fate
由yóufollow命mìngfate
动宾Verb + object

听天由命 means 听天 (listen to heaven) and 由命 (follow fate) together as resigning to fate.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聽; 听 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 聽 has 耳 (ear) and 口 (mouth), used for listening; the simplified 听 is a later shortened form unrelated to that picture.

Open 听 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

It began as a drawing of new shoots or leaves growing upward from a plant-like base.

Open 由 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng命mìng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

命 combines 口, a mouth, with 令, which gives the sound.

Open 命 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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