命

Stroke order

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

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

• Kangxi Dictionary: 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

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

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

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).

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

• (life): 生命 (shēngmìng)

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

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: みょう (myō, Jōyō)^{←みやう (myau, historical)}
• Kan-on: めい (mei, Jōyō)
• Kun: いのち (inochi, 命, Jōyō)、みこと (mikoto, 命)

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *inəti. 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.

• (Tokyo) いのち [íꜜnòchì] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ino̞t͡ɕi]

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

命 as "life" is distinct from several other Japanese words that may also be translated to English as "life". In particular, it means "the state of being alive, an animating force, or life as a whole (from birth to death)". Compare the terms below, which may also be rendered as "life" in English:

• 生活 (seikatsu, “life”): Day-to-day life as it is experienced; lifestyle; one's usual activities, habits, and routines.
• 生存 (seizon, “life”): Action involved in staying alive, as in "signs of life".
• 生命 (seimei, “life”): Biological life in general, particularly in scientific contexts.
• 存在 (sonzai, “life”): Being; either the state of existing or a thing that exists.
• 人生 (jinsei, “life”): A person's narrative, experience, and/or accomplishments from birth to death.
• 寿命 (jumyō, “life”): Lifespan or life expectancy.
• 残機 (zanki, “life”): A video-game life; a chance to play.
• 元気 (genki, “life”): Liveliness.

• (life): 生(せい)命(めい) (seimei)
• (lifespan): 寿(じゅ)命(みょう) (jumyō)
• (lifetime): 生(しょう)涯(がい) (shōgai), 一(いっ)生(しょう) (isshō)
• (fate): 運(うん)命(めい) (unmei)
• (destiny): 天(てん)命(めい) (tenmei)
• (core aspect): 真(しん)髄(ずい) (shinzui)

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.

• 御(み)言(こと) (mikoto)

• (Tokyo) みこと [mìkótó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [mʲiko̞to̞]

命(みこと) • (mikoto) 

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

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

• 尊

• (Tokyo) みこと [mìkótó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [mʲiko̞to̞]

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:

     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

命(みこと) • (mikoto) 

1. you
2. that person

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

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

• (Tokyo) めー [méꜜè] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [me̞ː]

命(めい) • (mei) 

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

• (fate): 運(うん)命(めい) (unmei)
• (destiny): 天(てん)命(めい) (tenmei)
• (life): 生(せい)命(めい) (seimei)
• (lifespan): 寿(じゅ)命(みょう) (jumyō)
• (order): 仰(おおせ), 仰(おお)せ (ōse); 命(めい)令(れい) (meirei)

命 (eumhun 목숨 명 (moksum myeong))

1. hanja form^? of 명 (“life”)

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Kun: ぬち (nuchi, 命)、いぬち (inuchi, 命)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *inoti, from Proto-Japonic *inəti.

• IPA^(key): [nut͡ɕi]

命(ぬち) (nuchi) 

1. life

命(いぬち) (inuchi) 

1. (literary) life

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

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

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