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认命 (rèn mìng) — to accept one's fate; to resign oneself (to circumstances)

Definition

Verb phrase: to give up resisting and accept that fate has decided the outcome. Carries a tone of reluctant resignation — you stop fighting, not because you agree, but because you feel there's no choice.

verb
to accept one's fateto resign oneself (to circumstances)

Examples

  • ，认命。
    Shì qing yǐ jīng zhè yàng le, nǐ jiù rèn mìng ba.
    Things are already like this — just accept your fate.
  • ，。
    Tā shì le sān cì dōu méi chéng gōng, zuì hòu bù dé bú rèn le mìng.
    He tried three times and failed, and finally had to resign himself.
  • 认命，。
    Bié qīng yì rèn mìng, zài nǔ lì yí cì kě néng jiù yǒu zhuǎn jī.
    Don't give in to fate so easily; one more try might bring a turning point.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

认rènacknowledge/accept
命mìngfate

认 means acknowledge or accept and 命 means fate; together they mean accept one's fate.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
讠Written in full as言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén认rèn
Same sound today

The left part 讠 shows speech, and the right part 人 gives the sound.

Open 认 →

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
Attitudes & Opinions

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