mìng
life; order; fate
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他命中注定要成为一名伟大的艺术家。
Tā mìngzhòng zhùdìng yào chéngwéi yīmíng wěidà de yìshùjiā.
He was destined to become a great artist.
她命苦，从小就没了父母。
Tā mìngkǔ, cóngxiǎo jiù méile fùmǔ.
She had a hard life, losing her parents at a young age.
他命悬一线，随时都有可能死去。
Tā mìngxuán yīxiàn, suíshí dōu yǒu kěnéng sǐqù.
His life hung by a thread, and he could die at any moment.
生命 (shēngmìng)
life
命运 (mìngyùn)
fate
死 (sǐ)
death
运 (yùn)
luck
The Chinese character 命 (mìng) is composed of two parts: the radical 曰 (yuē) and the phonetic component 令 (lìng). The radical 曰 means "to speak" or "to order", while the phonetic component 令 means "to command" or "to order". Together, these two components suggest the idea of "giving orders" or "commanding". This is reflected in the meaning of the character 命, which can mean "life", "destiny", or "fate". In ancient Chinese culture, it was believed that one's life and destiny were determined by the gods or by fate, and so the character 命 was often used in a religious or spiritual context. Today, the character 命 is still used in this sense, but it is also used more broadly to refer to one's life or destiny in general.
