Wiktionary

命

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

TranslingualEdit

Stroke order
 

Han characterEdit

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 charactersEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • 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

ChineseEdit

simp. and trad.
 命
alternative forms 𠇮
𫝇

Glyph originEdit

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). Doublet of 呤 (lìng).

EtymologyEdit

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).

PronunciationEdit

Note:
  • meng6 - vernacular;
  • ming6 - literary.
  • Gan
  • Hakka
    • Note:
    • miang - vernacular;
    • min - literary.
  • Jin
  • Min Bei
  • Min Dong
    • Note:
    • miâng - vernacular;
    • mêng - literary.
  • Min Nan
    • Note:
    • miā - vernacular;
    • bēng - literary.
    Note:
    • mian7 - vernacular;
    • mêng6 - literary.
  • Wu
  • Xiang
    • 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
    Baxter mjaengH
    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

    DefinitionsEdit

    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

    SynonymsEdit

    See alsoEdit

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

    CompoundsEdit

    Derived terms from 命

    JapaneseEdit

    KanjiEdit

    命

    (grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    ReadingsEdit

    CompoundsEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

    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.

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    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
    SynonymsEdit

    Etymology 2Edit

    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 formsEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    命(みこと) • (mikoto) 

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

    Etymology 3Edit

    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 formsEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    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

    PronounEdit

    命(みこと) • (mikoto) 

    1. you
    2. that person
    Usage notesEdit

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

    Etymology 4Edit

    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”).

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    命(めい) • (mei) 

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

    ReferencesEdit

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan

    KoreanEdit

    HanjaEdit

    命 (eumhun 목숨 명 (moksum myeong))

    1. Hanja form? of 명 (“life”).

    OkinawanEdit

    KanjiEdit

    命

    (grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    ReadingsEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

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

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    命 (hiragana ぬち, rōmaji nuchi)

    1. life

    Etymology 2Edit

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

    NounEdit

    命 (hiragana いぬち, rōmaji inuchi)

    1. (literary) life

    ReferencesEdit

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

    VietnameseEdit

    Han characterEdit

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

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