Discussion On “命

It is an important topic to etymologically seek the cultural justifications of the generation and the evolution of the derivative meaning of the original meaning of the character “命. In Jia Gu Wen, “命 and “命 are the same in character form, similar in pronunciation, and interchangeable in meaning. They were sometimes interchangeable characters of the same origin. However, this interchangeability was only restricted to “命令 in its original meaning. Later on, in the course of extension and derivation, “命 and “令 came to be divorced. This article undertakes to delineate and interpret the justifications and track of the extension and evolution of the word “命 from three aspects. Firstly, the meaning of “命 by extension used as a noun is explored. Secondly, the meaning of “命 by extension used as a verb is discussed. Thirdly, The meaning of “命 by extension is approached from the interchangeability with “命 of the same origin. According to the logic of interrelatedness and association and in view of the ontological concept and life philosophy of ancient people, the article reveals the derivative relationship of the various semantic items of the word “命 and undertakes to prove it with related words. The whole family of the word “命 is the sum total of the world outlook of “man's life deduced from the ontological outlook of the “destiny and the cultural relatedness of the social ethics of rank and status.