Chinese symbol for “destiny”
命运
mìng yùn
Traditional: 命運
fate; destiny
The closest CC-CEDICT match for destiny is 命运 (mìng yùn), defined as: fate; destiny.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “destiny”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 缘分 (緣分) | yuán fèn | fate or chance that brings people together; predestined affinity or relationship |
| 天数 (天數) | tiān shù | number of days; fate |
| 机缘 (機緣) | jī yuán | chance; opportunity |
| 天时 (天時) | tiān shí | the time; the right time |
| 历数 (曆數) | lì shù | (literary) movements of celestial bodies; destiny |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 命运.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 革命 | gé mìng | to withdraw the mandate of heaven (and transition to a new dynasty) (original meaning); revolution |
| 生命 | shēng mìng | life (as the characteristic of living beings); living being; creature (条 (tiáo)) |
| 命令 | mìng lìng | order; command |
| 任命 | rèn mìng | to appoint; (job) appointment |
| 命名 | mìng míng | to give a name to; to dub |
| 运动 (運動) | yùn dòng | to move; to exercise |
| 运用 (運用) | yùn yòng | to use; to put to use |
| 运行 (運行) | yùn xíng | (of celestial bodies etc) to move along one's course; (fig.) to function; to be in operation |
See also: Japanese symbol for “destiny”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.