天命(てんめい)

てんめい
noun
divine will; destiny; heaven's mandate; natural lifespan
formalreligionabstract
1. divine will; destiny; fate
one's fate or destiny as determined by heaven or divine forces
天命(てんめい)を全(まっと)うする。
To fulfill one's destiny.
これは天命(てんめい)だと思(おも)って受(う)け入(い)れた。
I accepted it, believing it to be destiny.
五十(ごじゅう)にして天命(てんめい)を知(し)る。
At fifty, one comes to understand heaven's will.
Famous saying from The Analects of Confucius
2. natural lifespan; allotted years
the natural span of life given to a person by heaven
天命(てんめい)を全(まっと)うする。
To fulfill one's destiny.
祖父(そふ)は天命(てんめい)を全(まっと)うして亡(な)くなった。
My grandfather passed away having lived out his natural lifespan.
人(ひと)の天命(てんめい)は誰(だれ)にも分(わ)からない。
No one knows a person's allotted lifespan.

天命(てんめい) refers to destiny as ordained by heaven.

Etymology

  • 天(てん): Heaven, sky
  • 命(めい): Life, command, destiny

Famous confucian saying

五十(ごじゅう)にして天命(てんめい)を知(し)る
"At fifty, one understands heaven's will."
From the Analects of Confucius, describing the stages of life.

Common collocations

Philosophical context

Rooted in Confucian and traditional East Asian thought where heaven determines one's purpose and lifespan.

Related words

Register: Formal/literary. Common in philosophical and formal contexts.

Related Words

Synonym: 運命(うんめい) (general fate)
Synonym: 宿命(しゅくめい) (predetermined)
Related: 使命(しめい) (mission)
Related: 寿命(じゅみょう) (lifespan)
Compare: 定(さだ)め (fate)
Compare: 天道(てんとう) (the way of heaven)
Compare: 天運(てんうん) (fate)
general
Added 2026.1.21 22:22 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
07500/07887_tenmei