命
いのち · inochi · JLPT N3 · noun
life
🌱 命 = 口 mouth + 令 order: life is the order heaven speaks
令 shows a kneeling person receiving an order, and 口 adds the mouth that speaks it. In old China, your lifespan was a mandate from heaven, which is why 命 also means fate. For the reading, inochi sounds like 'in no cheat': you get one life, no cheats.
命 — 亼 (gather) + 卩 (kneeling person) + 口 (mouth)
Originally depicted a kneeling figure receiving an oral command from above, combining 令 (order) with an added 口 (mouth) for emphasis. The image of authority issuing decrees extended from 'command' to 'mandate' and then 'destiny, life,' as one's fate was seen as decreed by Heaven.