DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

從命

简从命 · 繁從命

Mandarin · pinyin cóng mìng

to obey an order
to comply
to do sb's bidding
to do as requested

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

從: cóng · from, by, since, whence, through
命: mìng · life; destiny, fate, luck; an order, instruction
从: cóng · from, by, since, whence, through

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2–4 · cong2 ming4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

3character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

從命 · find source passages ↗ · 从命 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

(intransitive, verb-object) to obey an order; to do someone's bidding

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack