いのち

[命] ①［生命］

〔生， 一命， 人命， 露命， 命脈， 息の根〕

**life

【U】生命， 命；生きていること；【C】(死などからかろうじてのがれた後の)命， 命拾い;［通例 lives］(死者と対比して)人， 人命∥ How many days will her life endure? 彼女の命は何日もつだろうか / While there is life， there is hope. ((ことわざ))生きている限り希望がある；「命あっての物種」 / The doctors saved ［^×rescued］ his life. 医者たちは彼の命を救った / The earthquake took a heavy toll of lives. 地震で多くの人の命が奪われた.

▲Move (an inch)， and you'll be dead. 動いてみろ， 命はないぞ(＝Don't move， or I'll kill you.) / You're a lifesaver. あなたは命の恩人です / be cut off in one's prime 若くして命を失う / risk one's neck 《やや略式》命を賭ける / for the soul of me ＝for my soul ［否定文で］ 命にかけて， どうしても.

¶→命の電話

¶→命がもつ

②［寿命］

〔天命， 天寿， 余命〕

¶短い［余命いくばくもない］～

a short lease on life.

③［貴重なもの］

〔宝， 生命〕

¶お金はその老人にとって～だった

Money is everything to the old man.

◇→命にかかわる

◇→命を奪う

命
(mortal) life

* * *

いのち【命】

①［生命］

〔生， 一命， 人命， 露命， 命脈， 息の根〕

**life

〖U〗生命， 命；生きていること；〖C〗(死などからかろうじてのがれた後の)命， 命拾い; ［通例 lives］(死者と対比して)人， 人命

How many days will her life endure? 彼女の命は何日もつだろうか

While there is life， there is hope. ((ことわざ))生きている限り希望がある；「命あっての物種」

The doctors saved ［^×rescued］ his life. 医者たちは彼の命を救った

The earthquake took a heavy toll of lives. 地震で多くの人の命が奪われた.

▲Move (an inch)， and you'll be dead. 動いてみろ， 命はないぞ(＝Don't move， or I'll kill you. )

You're a lifesaver. あなたは命の恩人です

be cut off in one's prime 若くして命を失う

risk one's neck 《やや略式》命を賭ける

for the soul of me ＝for my soul ［否定文で］ 命にかけて， どうしても.

¶ → 命の電話

¶ → 命がもつ

②［寿命］

〔天命， 天寿， 余命〕

¶短い［余命いくばくもない］～

a short lease on life.

③［貴重なもの］

〔宝， 生命〕

¶お金はその老人にとって～だった

Money is everything to the old man.

◇ → 命にかかわる

◇ → 命を奪う

* * *

いのち【命】

1 〔生命〕 life; 〔生命力〕 life force. [⇒せいめい¹]

●かけがえのない命 one's only life; the only life one has.

●命とひきかえに in exchange for one's life

・命から 2 番目(に大事)である be the second most important thing after one's life.

●命が危ない be in peril of one's life

・命が助かる be saved (from death); escape death; 〔生き残る〕 survive

・じっとしていないと命がないぞ. Keep still, or you are a dead man.

・そんなことをしたら絶対命がない. To do something like that is to meet certain death. | Doing something like that involves certain death.

・私は命が惜しい. Life is dear to me.

・彼女の胎内に新しい命が宿った. A new life lodged within her womb.

●命にかかわる endanger [imperil] sb's life; be dangerous to life; be [prove] fatal 《to…》; be the death 《of…》

・命にかかわる傷[病気] a mortal [fatal] injury [disease]

・それは私の命にかかわる問題だ. It is a matter of life or death for me.

・大けがをしたが彼の命に別状はなかった. He was badly injured, but his life was not threatened.

・命に懸けて誓う swear on one's life

・この命に懸けて保証します. I will stake my life on it.

・命に替えても譲歩はできない be unable to compromise, even at the cost of one's life.

●命のある living; live; alive

・(たとえ小さい虫でも)命のあるものはすべて神秘に満ちている. All living things (even the smallest bug) are filled with mystery.

・命のある[続く]限りは as [so] long as one lives [life lasts]

・命のある限り努力する. struggle hard as long as there is breath in one's body

・命の無い lifeless; without life

・命の糧(_かて) the bread of life

・命の親[恩人] a person to whom one owes one's life

・彼は私にとって命の恩人だ. He is someone to whom I owe my life.

・命の洗濯 rejuvenation; recreation

・仕事を離れて久しぶりに山に登り命の洗濯をした. I got away from my work and for the first time in a long time climbed a mountain and enjoyed a complete break.

・命のやりとり mutual taking of life

・前線では連日いたるところで命のやりとりが演じられていた. Day after day all along the front line, soldiers were engaged in mortal combat.

・この絵からは命の躍動が伝わってくる. One gets a feeling of the liveliness of life from this picture.

・命の重みを考えろ. Think about the importance of life.

●命を拾う escape [get away, get out] alive [with one's life] [⇒いのちびろい]

・命を顧みない disregard one's life; not think about one's life

・仕事に命を懸ける put one's life into one's work

・恋に命を懸ける give oneself completely to love

・命を懸けるほどのことではない be something not worth dying for

・命を懸けて at the risk of [risking] one's life; at risk to life

・命を惜しむ hold one's life dear

・病床の彼女は残された命を惜しむように編み物に専念していた. Lying in her hospital bed, she devoted herself to knitting, as though she wanted to make the most of the life she had left.

・祖国の興亡がかかっている一戦だ. 命を惜しむな. On this battle hinges the fate of the fatherland. Be ready to give your lives for the cause!

・命を惜しめ. 君にはまだやるべきことが残っているんだ. Don't be too eager to die. There still are things you have to do.

・彼はみずから命を断った. He took [ended] his own life.

・命を奪う take sb's life

・戦争が多くの若い命を奪った. Many young lives were lost during the war.

・15,000 人以上の命を奪った地震 an earthquake that claimed more than 15,000 lives

・国民の命を支える sustain [support] the lives of the nation's citizens

・かろうじて命を支えるだけの暮らしをしている live on the edge of subsistence

・国家のために命を捧げる offer [sacrifice] one's life for one's country

・がんの研究に命を捧げる give one's life in the cause of cancer research

・命を粗末にする waste one's life

・命を粗末にしないで療養に励みなさい. Instead of wasting your life, apply yourself to getting better.

・命を捨てる[なげうつ] throw away [lay down] one's life; give (up) one's life 《for…》; die 《for…》

・彼はその大事業に命を捨てて取り組んだ. He tackled that major project at the cost of his life.

・あの人のためなら命を投げ出しても惜しくない. I would gladly lay down my life for his sake.

・命を大切にする value one's life; hold one's life dear

・命を託す trust one's life 《to a doctor》

・人の命を助ける save sb from death; save sb's life; 〔殺さずにおく〕 spare sb's life

・男は命を助けてくれと懇願した. The man pleaded for his life.

・命を取られる be deprived of life; be killed

・彼は酒で命を取られた. Drinking was the cause of his death. | He lost his life because of drinking.

・命を取り留める escape death; 〔病人が〕 pull through

・彼は命を取り留めそうだ. It looks as if he'll live [pull through].

・命をねらう try to take sb's life; make an attempt on sb's life

・命を取る take sb's life; kill

・水だけで 1 週間命をつないだ. They managed to live only on water for one week.

・命を失う[落とす] lose one's life

・その事故で 30 人もの乗客が命を落とした. As many as thirty passengers lost their lives [were killed] in that accident.

・その薬物の服用が彼の命を危うくした. Taking that medicine endangered his life.

・乗務員は乗客の命を守る義務がある. The crew have a duty to protect the lives of the passengers.

・小さい命(＝赤ん坊)を守る protect tiny lives; protect the lives of the young and the small

・病が癒えて新しい命を得たような気がした. Recovering from illness, I felt as though I had gained a new lease 《米》 on [《英》 of] life.

・それには命を削るような努力が必要だった. That took enough work to shorten a man's life.

・…に命を吹き込む breathe life into…

・職人の技が作品に命を吹き込んだ. The craftsman's skill breathed life into his work(s).

●人の命は露よりもはかない. Man's life is more transient than dew.

・命ばかりはお助けください. Please spare my life!

・彼の命はもう 1 時間ともたない. He has less than an hour to live.

・命あっての物種. Life must be the first consideration. | While there is life, there is hope. 【諺】

2 〔一生〕 one's whole life; 〔寿命〕 one's life span.

●露の命 a dewdroplike [transitory] life [existence]; a frail life.

●命が延びる take on new life; gain a new [fresh] lease 《米》 on [《英》 of] life

・心配すると命が縮まる. Worry shortens one's life. | Care killed the [a] cat.

・心配で命が縮まる思いだった. Worry was killing me.

●人の命には限りがある. A person's life is finite.

●過労が彼の命を縮めた. Overwork shortened his life.

・君の飲む酒の一杯一杯が君の命を縮めているんだよ. Every glass of liquor you drink is a nail in your coffin.

●私の命ももうこれまでだ. My life is done.

・命長ければ恥多し. The longer you live, the more shame you suffer.

3 〔よりどころ〕 the most important thing one has; the main support 《of sb》; 〔真髄〕 the essence 《of sth》.

●命と頼む rely on sth [sb] as the most important thing [main support]

・命の綱 the staff of one's life; one's only means of living; a lifeline

・命の綱と頼む depend on sb [sth] for support

・命の綱が切れた. The staff of one's life was broken.

●君は僕の命だ. You mean the most important thing in the whole world to me.

・女優は顔が命だ. An actress's face is her main asset (in life).

・髪は女性の命. Her hair is a woman's most important thing [treasure].

・千春, 命 〔いれずみなどで〕 Chiharu, my life.