命: life; fate

命 mìng

noun | verb
: life; fate
: order or command
: to assign a name, title etc

Kun Reading

命 | いのち inochi

noun
: life; life force
: lifetime; lifespan
: most important thing; foundation; core
: (Archaism) paired tattoos of the “life” kanji on the upper arms of a man and woman (indicating unwavering love)
: (Archaism) fate; destiny; karma

命 | みこと mikoto

noun
: (after the name of a god or a noble) Lord; Highness
: (Archaism) (Derogatory) you

命令 ming4ling4: order; command
[めいれい meirei: order; command; decree; directive
: (Computer terminology) (software) instruction; statement]

命運[运] ming4yun4: fate; destiny

命名 ming4ming2: to give a name to; to dub; to christen; to designate; named after; naming
[めいめい meimei: naming; christening]

命題[题] ming4ti2: proposition (logic, math.); to assign an essay topic
[命題 | めいだい meidai: proposition; thesis]

命中 ming4zhong4: to hit (a target)
[めいちゅう meichyuu: a hit; hitting something that was aimed at]

生命 sheng1ming4: life; living; biological
[せいめい seimei: life; existence]

革命 ge2ming4: revolution; revolutionary (politics)
[かくめい kakumei: revolution;
: 58th year of the sexagenary cycle (in onmyou-dou)]

拼命 pin1ming4: to do one’s utmost; with all one’s might; at all costs; (to work or fight) as if one’s life depends on it

壽[寿]命 shou4ming4: life span; life expectancy; lifetime (of a machine)
[寿命 | じゅみょう jyumyou: life span]

使命 shi3ming4: mission (diplomatic or other); set task
[しめい shimei: mission; errand; message]

算命 suan4ming4: fortune-telling; to tell fortune

Japanese common word | expression | yojijukugo 四字熟語 | idiom | proverb
一所懸命 | いっしょけんめい issho kenmei
: (yoji) very hard; with utmost effort; with all one’s might; desperately; frantically; for dear life; all-out effort; sticking at living in and defending one place
: sticking at living in one place

一生懸命 | いっしょうけんめい isshou kenmei
: (yoji) very hard; with utmost effort; with all one’s might; for dear life

五十知命 | ごじゅうちめい gojuu chimei
: (yoji) At age fifty, one comes to know the will of Heaven. (Confucius)

絶体絶命 | ぜったいぜつめい zettai zetsumei
: (yoji) desperate situation; being driven into a corner; stalemate

美人薄命 | びじんはくめい bijin hakumei
: (yoji) beauty and fortune seldom go together; the beautiful die young

至上命令 | しじょうめいれい shijou meirei
: (yoji) categorical imperative; overriding necessity

寿命を延ばす | じゅみょうをのばす jyumyou o nobasu
: to prolong one’s life

寿命を縮める | じゅみょうをちぢめる jyumyou o chijimeru
: to shorten one’s life

使命を帯びる | しめいをおびる shimei o obiru
: to be charged with a mission

使命を果たす | しめいをはたす shimei o hatasu
: to carry out one’s mission

人事を尽くして天命を待つ | じんじをつくしててんめいをまつ jinji o tsukushite tenmei o matsu
: (proverb) Man proposes, God disposes. Man does what man can do then awaits the verdict of heaven or fate

余命幾何もない | よめいいくばくもない yomei ikubaku monai
: your days are numbered

命に別状はない | いのちにべつじょうはない inochi ni betsujou wa nai
: (one’s) life is not in danger; not life-threatening

命より名を貴ぶ | いのちよりなをたっとぶ inochi yori na o tattobu
: to value honor above life

命有っての物種 | いのちあってのものだね inochi atte no monodane
: While there’s life, there’s hope

命長ければ恥多し | いのちながければはじおおし inochi naga kereba wa jiooshi
: (proverb) to live long is to outlive much; the longer you live, the more shame you suffer

河豚は食いたし命は惜しし | ふぐはくいたしいのちはおしし fugu wa kuitashi inochi wa oshishi
: (proverb) honey is sweet, but the bee stings. Hesitating from doing something because of fear of consequences
(lit.) I would like to taste fugu, but I value my life.

命が惜しければ | いのちがおしければ inochi ga oshi kereba
: if you value your life

Chinese expression | chengyu 成語 | idiom
命中註定 [命中注定] ming4 zhong1 zhu4 ding4
: decreed by fate; destined; fated

命歸黃泉 [命归黄泉] ming4 gui1 huang2 quan2
: lit. to return to the Yellow Springs 黃泉|黄泉Huang2 quan2; fig. to die; to meet one’s end

人命關天 [人命关天] ren2 ming4 guan1 tian1
: human life is beyond value

死於非命 [死于非命] si3 yu2 fei1 ming4
: violent death; to die in a disaster; an unnatural death

愛財如命 [爱财如命] ai4 cai2 ru2 ming4
: lit. to love money as much as one’s own life; fig. avaricious; tightfisted

礙難從命 [碍难从命] ai4 nan2 cong2 ming4
: difficult to obey orders; much to my embarrassment, I am unable to comply

紅顏薄命 [红颜薄命] hong2 yan2 bo2 ming4
: beautiful women suffer unhappy fates

疲於奔命 [疲于奔命] pi2 yu2 ben1 ming4
: lit. tired of constantly running for one’s life; terribly busy; up to one’s ears in work

相依為命 [相依为命] xiang1 yi1 wei2 ming4
: mutually dependent for life; to rely upon one another for survival; interdependent

聽天安命 [听天安命] ting1 tian1 an1 ming4
: to accept one’s situation as dictated by heaven

聽天由命 [听天由命] ting1 tian1 you2 ming4
: to submit to the will of heaven; to resign oneself to fate; to trust to luck

草菅人命 cao3 jian1 ren2 ming4
: human life as grass; to kill people like scything grass; a politician acting with total disregard for the life of his countrymen

謀財害命 [谋财害命] mou2 cai2 hai4 ming4
: to plot and kill sb for his property; to murder for money

自命清高 zi4 ming4 qing1 gao1
: to think of oneself as high and pure; smug and self-righteous; holier-than-thou

耳提面命 er3 ti2 mian4 ming4
: to give sincere advice; to exhort earnestly

長命富貴 [长命富贵] chang2 ming4 fu4 gui4
: Wishing you long life and riches! (conventional greeting)

生死有命 sheng1 si3 you3 ming4
: life and death are ruled by fate

冒生命危險 [冒生命危险] mao4 sheng1 ming4 wei1 xian3
: to risk one’s life

救人一命勝造七級浮屠 [救人一命胜造七级浮屠] jiu4 ren2 yi1 ming4 sheng4 zao4 qi1 ji2 fu2 tu2
: saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-floor pagoda

生命不息，戰鬥不止 [生命不息，战斗不止] sheng1 ming4 bu4 xi1 , zhan4 dou4 bu4 zhi3
: while there is life, the fight continues; to fight to the last