令 (lìng): to order, to command, an order, warrant, writ, to cause
令 (lìng) is a Chinese character meaning “to order.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 人 (structural). It ranks #378 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 令 a person kneeling before a master 人. Its radical form 亻 (person) appears in many related characters such as 人 (rén, person), 什 (shén, what), 今 (jīn, now).
Definitions
- to order
- to command
- an order
- warrant
- writ
- to cause
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA person kneeling before a master 人
Stroke Order
Practice writing 令 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 令
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 指令 | zhǐ lìng | order |
| 下令 | xià lìng | to give an order |
| 司令 | sī lìng | commanding officer |
| 法令 | fǎ lìng | decree |
| 禁令 | jìn lìng | prohibition |
| 口令 | kǒu lìng | oral command |
| 令人 | lìng rén | to cause one (to do sth) |
| 司令官 | sī lìng guān | commander |
| 司令部 | sī lìng bù | headquarters |
| 令尊 | lìng zūn | Your esteemed father (honorific) |
| 先令 | xiān lìng | (loanword) shilling |
| 勒令 | lè lìng | to order |
| 发令 | fā lìng | to issue an order |
| 传令 | chuán lìng | to transmit an order |
| 戒严令 | jiè yán lìng | martial law |
令 appears in 100 compound words: 23 as the first character, 62 as the last, and 15 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 令 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (10)
to be blinded by the lust for gains; to lose one's head because of greed
with flourishing words and friendly countenance; with insincere courtesy
with flourishing words and friendly countenance; with insincere courtesy
to be blinded by the lust for gains; to lose one's head because of greed
Example Sentences
这个消息令人振奋，大家都充满了干劲。
Zhè gè xiāoxi lìng rén zhènfèn, dàjiā dōu chōngmǎn le gànjìn.
This news is inspiring; everyone is full of energy.
羅淑佩:冀香港旅遊做到令旅客樂而忘返念念不忘一來再來
羅 淑 pèi 冀 xiāng gǎng lǚ 遊 zuò dào lìng lǚ kè 樂 ér wàng fǎn niàn niàn bù wàng yī 來 zài 來
Luo Shupei: Hopes Hong Kong Tourism Will Make Visitors So Happy They Forget to Leave, So Memorable They Keep Coming Back
1令吉爆竹爆炸导致右眼失明 7年过去少年仍感...
lìng jí bào zhú bào zhà dǎo zhì yòu yǎn shī míng nián guò qù shǎo nián réng gǎn . . .
A 1-ringgit firecracker explosion caused blindness in his right eye. Seven years later, the teenager still feels...
美最高法院判決或掀連鎖反應 特朗普急簽令守小額包裹關稅防線
měi zuì gāo fǎ yuàn pàn 決 huò xiān 連 鎖 fǎn 應 tè lǎng pǔ jí 簽 lìng shǒu xiǎo 額 bāo guǒ 關 稅 fáng 線
U.S. Supreme Court Ruling May Trigger Chain Reaction; Trump Rushes to Sign Order to Defend Small Parcel Tariff Front
财政部:网传500令吉斋戒月援助属假消息
cái zhèng bù wǎng chuán lìng jí 斋 jiè yuè yuán zhù shǔ jiǎ xiāo xī
Ministry of Finance: Internet rumors of RM500 Ramadan aid is false news
組圖:太陽風暴來襲時 出現令人驚歎的極光
組 圖 tài 陽 風 bào 來 襲 時 chū 現 lìng rén 驚 歎 de 極 guāng
Group photo: Stunning aurora borealis during solar storms
天灵灵，地灵灵；急急如律令！
Tiān líng líng, de líng líng; jí jí rú lǜ lìng!
Spirits of Heaven and Earth, heed my call; manifest swiftly by divine decree!
国王下令把囚犯释放。
Guówáng xiàlìng bǎ qiúfàn shìfàng.
The king ordered that the prisoner should be set free.
汤姆只按命令行事。
Tāngmǔ zhǐ àn mìnglìngháng shì.
Tom just does what he's told to do.
痛苦令人无法忍受。
Tòngkǔ lìngrén wúfǎrěnshòu.
The pain is unbearable.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 令 (lìng) mean in Chinese?
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What is the radical of 令?
What are the components of 令?
What are common words containing 令?
What characters sound the same as 令 (lìng)?
Is 令 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 令 with real-time feedback
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