命めい運うん

め

い

う

ん

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

Refers to the course of events beyond human control, often with a weighty or dramatic tone. Common in discussions of nations, organizations, or personal turning points.

その一いっ戦せんがチームの命めい運うんを決きめた。
That one match decided the team's fate.
国こっ家かの命めい運うんは国こく民みんの手てにかかっている。
The destiny of the nation rests in the hands of its people.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉の命めい運うんを分わけるto be the deciding factor in something's fate
この試し合あいが両りょうチームの命めい運うんを分わけることになる。
This match will decide the fate of both teams.
〈物もの〉の命めい運うんがかかるto have something's fate at stake
この選せん挙きょには国くにの命めい運うんがかかっている。
The nation's fate is at stake in this election.
命めい運うんを握にぎるto hold the key to someone's or something's fate
次つぎのリーダーが会かい社しゃの命めい運うんを握にぎっている。
The next leader holds the company's fate in their hands.
命めい運うんを左さ右ゆうするto determine or greatly influence the course of fate
この決けつ断だんが国くにの命めい運うんを左さ右ゆうするだろう。
This decision will likely determine the nation's fate.

Kanji

命fate, command, decree
運carry, luck, destiny

Related words

運うん命めいN2
運命 is the everyday word for fate or destiny, while 命運 is more formal and typically used for the fate of nations, organizations, or a decisive turning point.
宿しゅく命めいN1
宿命 stresses a fate that was predetermined from birth and cannot be escaped, whereas 命運 focuses on the outcome of a critical moment or struggle.
天てん命めい
天命 carries a religious or heaven-ordained nuance, while 命運 is used more secularly for the fate of a group or situation at a decisive juncture.

Don't confuse with

運うん命めいN2
命運 uses the same two kanji reversed and means the fate of a whole undertaking or nation, while 運命 is used for an individual's personal destiny too.

Etymology

Compound of 命 (life, command) and 運 (luck, fate). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination conveys the idea of one's allotted life course.