奔命 (bēn mìng) — to be in a desperate hurry, to rush about

Definition

奔命 is a colloquial verb meaning 'to rush about in a desperate hurry,' usually from being overworked. It is a separable verb: 奔了一天 的命, with 奔 carrying the action and 命 as a kind of object.

verb
to be in a desperate hurryto rush about

Examples

  • 奔命。
    Tā měi tiān wèi le gōng zuò bēn mìng.
    He rushes about for work every day.
  • ，。
    Tā bēn le yì tiān de mìng, lèi huài le.
    He rushed about for a whole day and was exhausted.
  • 奔命，。
    Bié zhè me bēn mìng, zhù yì xiū xi.
    Don't rush about so desperately; take care to rest.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

奔 combines 人 (person) and 止 (foot), giving the picture of a person moving on foot.

Open 奔 →

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 →

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