fate, command, decree, destiny, life, appoint
命 centers on the idea of a binding directive that shapes existence: a command or decree that determines one's fate, destiny, or the very course of life. The sense of 'appoint' follows naturally as issuing such a directive to a person.
命 combines 令 (order, command) with 口 (mouth), reinforcing the idea of a spoken command or decree that determines fate or life. The historical development is well established as a compound of these two components.
The outer shape 令 suggests an authoritative order, and the inner 口 is a mouth issuing that order. Picture a ruler speaking a decree that decides someone's fate or appoints them to a role—that decree is their 命, their life's direction.
For メイ, imagine a commander issuing a decree on a bright May morning: May -> メイ, and the command shapes the destiny of everyone who hears it.
life; life force
life; existence
order; command; decree; directive
revolution
fate; destiny; lot
to order; to command
very hard; with utmost effort; as hard as one can; with all one's might; for dear life; eagerly; desperately
lifespan; life; lifetime
mission; errand
appointment; nomination; ordination; commission; designation
fleeing from one's country; seeking asylum; defection; emigration (for political reasons); (going into) exile; becoming a (political) refugee
lifesaving
naming; christening
(direct) hit; hitting the mark
favorite (to win); favourite; likely winner
fate; destiny; predestination
eager; earnest; strenuous; fervent; assiduous; with utmost effort
fatal wound
(human) life
remainder of one's life; one's remaining days; time left (to live)
to order; to command
keeping alive longer; prolonging life; life extension; life-support
proposition; thesis; notion; theory
anniversary of a person's death; monthly return of the date of someone's death