抗命 (kàng mìng) — to disobey orders; to defy orders | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

To deliberately disobey a superior's orders — a strong, formal verb implying willful defiance, not just failure to follow (违抗 is near-synonymous but more formal/written, used in legal or military contexts).

verb

to disobey ordersto defy orders

Examples

抗命。
Jūn rén bù gǎn kàng mìng.
The soldier dares not disobey orders.
，。
Tā kàng guò yí cì mìng, bèi fá le.
He disobeyed an order once and was punished.
。
Tā cóng lái méi yǒu kàng guò mìng.
He has never disobeyed orders.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

To 抗 against 命 orders means to defy commands.

Characters in this word

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

扌亢抗

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒu

Sound part声符shēngfú

亢

亢kàng抗kàng

Same sound today

抗 is made from 扌, a written form of 手 (hand), and 亢, which gives the sound.

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.

Appears in

Conflict & Agreement Military & Defense

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