听命 (tīng mìng) — to obey orders, to follow commands; to be resigned to one's fate, to let fate take its course

Definition

听命 covers two distinct senses: 'to obey orders' (often as 听命于 + a superior) and 'to resign oneself to fate' (听天由命). The first is about following authority; the second is passivity toward circumstances.

verb
to obey ordersto follow commandsto be resigned to one's fateto let fate take its course

Examples

  • 听命
    Tā tīng mìng yú shàng jí de ān pái.
    He follows his superiors' arrangements.
  • 听命
    Xiàn zài zhǐ néng tīng tiān yóu mìng le, wǒ men tīng mìng ba.
    We have no choice but to trust to fate now — let fate take its course.
  • Tā zhī tīng lǎo bǎn de mìng, bié rén shuō shén me dōu méi yòng.
    He only follows his boss's orders; nothing anyone else says matters.
Appears in

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