A Note on the Breakdown of 使命

使命意識 (shimei-ishiki: sense of mission; awareness of duty or calling)     mission (1st 2 chars.) + awareness (last 2 chars.)

The first two characters, 使命, break down as messenger + order, says Halpern. (“Order” is the original meaning of 命, which you may associate with “life,” another important meaning.) These two kanji form a word, shimei, which plays a part in the expression 使命を果たす (shimei o hatasu: to carry out one’s mission). As you might have guessed, 果たす (hatasu) means “to carry out.”

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