命

See also: 令
命 U+547D, 命
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-547D
← 呼
[U+547C] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 呾 →
[U+547E]

Translingual
Stroke order

Han character

命 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 人一口中 (OMRL), four-corner 80627, composition ⿱亼叩 or ⿹令口)

Derived characters
  • 𠊈, 𠵴, 𭝕, 掵, 𭰷, 椧, 𬍱, 𬔣, 𦁸, 𨉟, 𬫦, 𦅫, 𩸍, 𫾽, 𪵍, 𪂤, 㥐, 𥮡, 𡇳

See also
  • 𠴠, 𨉓

References
  • KangXi: page 183, character 18
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3473
  • Dae Jaweon: page 402, character 15
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 604, character 11
  • Unihan data for U+547D

Chinese
simp. and trad.
 命
alternative forms 𠇮
𫝇

Glyph origin
Historical forms of the character 命
Shang Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
Characters in the same phonetic series (令) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
令 *ren, *reŋ, *reŋs, *reːŋ, *reːŋs
怜 *riːn, *reːŋ
零 *riːŋ, *reːŋ, *reːŋs
魿 *ɡriŋ, *reːŋ
命 *mreŋs
冷 *raːŋʔ, *reːŋ, *reːŋʔ
跉 *reŋ, *reːŋ
嶺 *reŋʔ
領 *reŋʔ
阾 *reŋʔ, *reːŋ
柃 *reŋʔ, *reːŋ
袊 *reŋʔ
詅 *reŋs, *reːŋ
旍 *ʔsleŋ
舲 *reːŋ
齡 *reːŋ
囹 *reːŋ
鴒 *reːŋ
蛉 *reːŋ
鈴 *reːŋ
苓 *reːŋ
伶 *reːŋ
泠 *reːŋ
瓴 *reːŋ
拎 *reːŋ
刢 *reːŋ
玲 *reːŋ
聆 *reːŋ
竛 *reːŋ
軨 *reːŋ
笭 *reːŋ, *reːŋʔ
翎 *reːŋ
閝 *reːŋ
鹷 *reːŋ
昤 *reːŋ
駖 *reːŋ
彾 *reːŋ
呤 *reːŋ
狑 *reːŋ
秢 *reːŋ
岭 *reːŋ
紷 *reːŋ
砱 *reːŋ
羚 *reːŋ
姈 *reːŋ
蕶 *reːŋ
澪 *reːŋ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *mreŋs) : semantic 口 (“mouth”) + phonetic 令 (OC *ren, *reŋ, *reŋs, *reːŋ, *reːŋs).

Etymology

Related to 令 (OC *ren, *reŋ, *reŋs, *reːŋ, *reːŋs, “to order; to command; order”) (Wang, 1982). Both may be derived from 名 (OC *meŋ, “name”): “name” (名) > “to name; to give (a name to)” (命) > “to order; to command” > “order; command” > “destiny; fate; lot” > “life” (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

Note:
  • meng6 - vernacular;
  • ming6 - literary.
Note:
  • miang - vernacular;
  • min - literary.
Note:
  • miâng - vernacular;
  • mêng - literary.
Note:
  • miā - vernacular;
  • bēng - literary.
Note:
  • mian7 - vernacular;
  • mêng6 - literary.
Note:
  • min5 - vernacular;
  • min4 - literary.
Rime
Character 命
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 明 (4)
Final (韻) 庚 (111)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 眉病切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /mˠiæŋH/
Pan
Wuyun		 /mᵚiaŋH/
Shao
Rongfen		 /miaŋH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /miajŋH/
Li
Rong		 /miɐŋH/
Wang
Li		 /mĭɐŋH/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /mi̯ɐŋH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 mìng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex		 ming6
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 命
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 mìng
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ mjængH ›
Old
Chinese		 /*m-riŋ-s/ (dialect: *m-r- > *mr-, *-iŋ> *-eŋ)
English command (n.)

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 命
Reading # 1/1
No. 8275
Phonetic
component		 令
Rime
group		 耕
Rime
subdivision		 0
Corresponding
MC rime		 命
Old
Chinese		 /*mreŋs/
Notes 令轉註字

Definitions

命

  1. life; existence; state of living (Classifier: 條／条 m c)
  2. lifespan; life expectancy
  3. destiny; fate; luck
  4. order; command; instruction
  5. to order; to command
  6. to give (a title, name to); to name

Synonyms

See also
  • 生活 (shēnghuó, “(personal aspects of) life”)

Compounds
Derived terms from 命

Japanese

Kanji
命

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Etymology 1
Kanji in this term
命
いのち
Grade: 3
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. Probably a compound of Old Japanese elements 息 (i, “breath”, i in compounds, iki on its own) +‎ の (no, possessive particle) +‎ 霊 (chi, “spirit, force, soul”).

Some analyses describe this as a compound using 生 (i, “life, breath”, i in compounds, iki on its own) as the initial semantic element. This is equally valid, as 息 (iki) and 生き (iki) are cognates.

Pronunciation

Noun

命(いのち) • (inochi) 

  1. life
    命(いのち)の恩(おん)人(じん)
    inochi no onjin
    person to whom one owes their life
  2. lifespan
  3. lifetime
  4. fate, destiny
  5. (figuratively) the most important part or aspect of a thing
Synonyms

Etymology 2
Kanji in this term
命
みこと
Grade: 3
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. Compound of 御 (mi-, honorific prefix) +‎ 言 (koto, “word”).[2] The mi prefix is generally limited to extremely high-status contexts such as gods or emperors.

Alternative forms
  • 御(み)言(こと) (mikoto)

Pronunciation

Noun

命(みこと) • (mikoto) 

  1. the words or pronouncements of a god or an emperor

Etymology 3
Kanji in this term
命
みこと
Grade: 3
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of 御 (mi-, honorific prefix) +‎ 事 (koto, “abstract thing”, as opposed to 物, mono, “concrete thing”).[2][1]

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

命(みこと) • (mikoto) 

  1. the honorable, the exalted
    Used as a title after the referenced noun when referring to gods, emperors, or other high-status persons.
    • 711–712, Kojiki (Kami tsu maki)
      夜知富許能 迦微能美許登波
      八千矛の神の命は
      やちほこのかみのみことは
      Yachihoko no kami no mikoto wa
      the honorable god Yachihoko
    • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book Book 20, No. 4408, poem {{{2}}})
      波々蘇婆能 波々能美許等波
      柞葉の母の命は
      ははそばのははのみことは
      hahasoba no haha no mikoto wa
      the exalted mother of the oak leaf
  2. the beloved, dearly beloved
    Similarly used as a title after the referenced noun.
    • 711–712, Kojiki (Kami tsu maki)
      和加久佐能　都麻能美許登
      若草の妻の命
      わかくさのつまのみこと
      Wakakusa no tsuma no mikoto
      dearly beloved young wife

Pronoun

命(みこと) • (mikoto) 

  1. you
  2. that person
Usage notes

Used ironically from the late Heian period, expressing a sense of mild derision or ridicule.

Etymology 4
Kanji in this term
命
めい
Grade: 3
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese 命 (mjængH, “command”). Compare modern Mandarin 命 (mìng, “life, destiny, instruction”).

Pronunciation

Noun

命(めい) • (mei) 

  1. fate, destiny
  2. life, lifespan
  3. order, command
Synonyms

References
  1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan

Korean

Hanja

命 (eumhun 목숨 명 (moksum myeong))

  1. Hanja form? of 명 (“life”).

Okinawan

Kanji
命

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Etymology 1
Kanji in this term
命
ぬち
Grade: 3
kun’yomi

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [nut͡ɕi]

Noun

命 (hiragana ぬち, rōmaji nuchi)

  1. life

Etymology 2
Kanji in this term
命
いぬち
Grade: 3
kun’yomi

Noun

命 (hiragana いぬち, rōmaji inuchi)

  1. (literary) life

References
  • “ぬち【命】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

Vietnamese

Han character

命: Hán Nôm readings: mệnh, mạng, mình, mạnh, mịnh

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