Chinese character for destiny: 命运 (mìngyùn)
The Chinese word for destiny is 命运 (mìngyùn). It means fate or destiny, the course of one's life, as in 掌握命运 (take control of your destiny). 命 means life or fate and 运 means luck or movement.
How 命运 is built
命 (mìng) joins 口 (mouth) and 令 (order): an order given by heaven, which became the idea of fate and life. 运 (yùn) combines the movement radical 辶 with 云 for the sound and means luck that moves and changes. Its traditional form is 運. As a memory aid, 命运 is the life you are given plus the luck that moves through it. Destiny in a romantic sense is often 缘分.
命 mìng · life
- 令lìng — command
- 人rén — person
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
Origin hint: An order 令 given by mouth 口 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
运 yùn · to run
- 辶 — walking, moving
- 云yún — (classical) to say
- 二 — two strokes
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 厶sī — private
- 二 — two strokes
Origin hint: 辶 gives the meaning, 云 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 命运 is used
Other ways to say destiny
- 缘分 yuánfèn — fated connection between people, often romantic
- 缘 yuán — single character for destined bond
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: Use 命运 (traditional 命運) for fate, or 缘分 if you mean a destined bond with another person.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for destiny?
命运 (mìngyùn) means “destiny”. In traditional characters it is written 命運.
How do you pronounce 命运?
命运 is pronounced mìngyùn.
Is 命运 simplified or traditional?
命运 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore; 命運 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.