命 (mìng) — life; fate, destiny | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

As a verb here, 命 is a literary/formal equivalent of 命令 ('to order, to command'). 命运 and 缘分 are nouns naming the concept of fate itself.

verb

lifefatedestiny

命，。
Hěn duō rén bù xiāng xìn mìng, zhī xiāng xìn zì jǐ de nǔ lì.
Many people don't believe in fate; they only believe in their own effort.
命，。
Tā de mìng fēi cháng kǎn kě, dàn tā cóng bú fàng qì.
His life has been very rough, but he never gives up.
命。
Yì chǎng jí bìng chà diǎn yào le tā de mìng.
A sudden illness almost cost him his life.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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

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.

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