天命(てんめい)

てんめい
noun
divine will; destiny; heaven's mandate; natural lifespan
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.

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

COMPOSITION:

  • 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:

  • 天命(てんめい)を全(まっと)うする (to fulfill one's destiny/live out one's natural life)
  • 天命(てんめい)を知(し)る (to understand one's destiny)
  • 天命(てんめい)を待(ま)つ (to await one's fate)
  • 天命(てんめい)に従(したが)う (to follow destiny)

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

RELATED TERMS:

  • 運命(うんめい) (fate, destiny - more general)
  • 宿命(しゅくめい) (fate, destiny - predetermined)
  • 使命(しめい) (mission, calling)
  • 寿命(じゅみょう) (lifespan)

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

general
Added 2026.1.21 22:22
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