also: しんみょう
noun
one's life; life and body
A formal or literary term for one's life, often used in contexts of sacrifice, devotion, or existential risk. Not an everyday word; 命 (いのち) is the common equivalent.
彼は国のために身命を捧げた。
He gave his life for his country.
身命を賭して真実を追い求める。
Pursue the truth at the risk of one's life.
Compound of 身 (body, oneself) and 命 (life). The reading しんみょう is a result of rendaku (voicing) on the second character, but しんめい is the more standard reading.