命

mìng
noun HSK 5 #772

Meanings

  1. 1 life; fate; destiny
  2. 2 order; command
  3. 3 to assign; to name

Examples

HSK 4
Shēngmìng shì zuì zhòngyào de.
Life is the most important thing.
HSK 5
Mìngyùn zhǎngwò zài zìjǐ shǒuzhōng.
Fate is in your own hands.
HSK 5
救命!
Jiùmìng!
Help! (Save my life!)

Tips

usage
命 is used in: 生命 (life), 命运 (fate/destiny), 革命 (revolution), 命令 (command/order), 救命 (save my life!), 寿命 (lifespan), 拼命 (desperately/with all one's might).

Components

radical
口 kǒu
mouth; speech
Inner mouth radical - the indexing component, tucked under the roof-line of 令. The added mouth makes the speaking explicit: an order issued by command from one mouth. From there the meaning broadened to fate/destiny - what has been spoken/decreed for one's life. Same radical: 名 (name), 言 (word).
phonetic
令 lìng
order; command
Outer 令 wraps around the top and lower-right of the character - its strokes run before and after the 口 inside. Supplies the sound (lìng → mìng, retained nasal coda) and the meaning of issuing a command. The original 命 was simply 令 with an added 口 for emphasis on speech.

Stroke Order

命 mìng