唯命是從

Chinese

		yes; only; alone	life; fate	be; yes; this	from; obey; observe from; obey; observe; follow; second cousin; lax; yielding; unhurried
trad. (唯命是從)		唯	命	是	從
simp. (唯命是从)		唯	命	是	从
alternative forms		惟命是從／惟命是从

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wéimìngshìcóng

  (Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˊ ㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄕˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): wai⁴ ming⁶ si⁶ cung⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wéimìngshìcóng
    • Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˊ ㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄕˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wéimìngshìhcóng
    • Wade–Giles: wei²-ming⁴-shih⁴-tsʻung²
    • Yale: wéi-mìng-shr̀-tsúng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: weiminqshyhtsorng
    • Palladius: вэйминшицун (vɛjminšicun)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯³⁵ miŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡sʰʊŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: wai⁴ ming⁶ si⁶ cung⁴
    • Yale: wàih mihng sih chùhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wai⁴ ming⁶ si⁶ tsung⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: wei⁴ ming⁶ xi⁶ cung⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐi̯²¹ mɪŋ²² siː²² t͡sʰʊŋ²¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: ywij mjaengH dzyeX dzjowng

Rime
Character	唯	命	是	從
Reading #	1/2	1/1	1/1	1/3
Initial (聲)	以 (36)	明 (4)	常 (25)	從 (15)
Final (韻)	脂 (16)	庚 (111)	支 (11)	鍾 (7)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)	Rising (X)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III	III	III
Fanqie	以追切	眉病切	承紙切	疾容切
Baxter	ywij	mjaengH	dzyeX	dzjowng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/jiuɪ/	/mˠiæŋH/	/d͡ʑiᴇX/	/d͡zɨoŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/jʷi/	/mᵚiaŋH/	/d͡ʑiɛX/	/d͡zioŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/juɪ/	/miaŋH/	/d͡ʑjɛX/	/d͡zioŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/jwi/	/miajŋH/	/d͡ʑiə̆X/	/d͡zuawŋ/
Li Rong	/ui/	/miɐŋH/	/ʑieX/	/d͡zioŋ/
Wang Li	/jwi/	/mĭɐŋH/	/ʑǐeX/	/d͡zĭwoŋ/
Bernard Karlgren	/wi/	/mi̯ɐŋH/	/ʑie̯X/	/d͡zʱi̯woŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wéi	mìng	shì	cóng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wai4	ming6	si6	cung4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*ɢʷij  m-riŋ-s  [d]eʔ  [dz]oŋ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɢʷi  mreŋs  djeʔ  zloŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	唯	命	是	從
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/1	1/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	wéi	mìng	shì	cóng
Middle Chinese	‹ ywij ›	‹ mjængH ›	‹ dzyeX ›	‹ dzjowng ›
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷij/ (< *ɢʷuj?)	/*m-riŋ-s/ (dialect: *m-r- > *mr-, *-iŋ> *-eŋ)	/*[d]eʔ/	/*[dz]oŋ/
English	only	command (n.)	this	to follow
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	唯	命	是	從
Reading #	1/2	1/1	1/1	2/3
No.	12854	8275	11645	1858
Phonetic component	唯	令	是	从
Rime group	脂	耕	支	東
Rime subdivision	2	0	0	0
Corresponding MC rime	惟	命	是	從
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷi/	/*mreŋs/	/*djeʔ/	/*zloŋ/
Notes	本象隹鳴，鷕即其轉註異構， 非隹聲	令轉註字	金文從早從止， 馬敘倫謂正加射的。按象對準目標行進， 表所行正確

Idiom

唯命是從

1. to follow orders as if one's life depended on it; to do what one is told without fail

Synonyms

• 唯命是聽／唯命是听 (wéimìngshìtīng)