生命
せいめい · seimei · JLPT N3 · noun
life
🌱 生命 = born 生 + fate/decree 命: the life you're allotted at birth
生 (sei) means to be born or live, as in 先生 and 生まれる. 命 (mei) first meant a command and came to mean one's destiny or lifespan. Born + decree gives life itself. Tip: seimei sounds like say May, a spring month when things are born.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.
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.