Difference between 運命 and 命運


To my knowledge, 運命{うんめい} is the more common of the two terms, meaning fate /
destiny. 命運{めいうん} is clearly the same 漢字 reversed, and translations give the
same meaning of fate / destiny. I was wondering if the two are in fact the
exact same in meaning, or if there's a difference in nuance between them,
other than the fact that 運命{うんめい} seems to be the more common of the two.




大辞林 says

> **命運**  
>  そのこと（もの）の存続にかかわる重大な運命。「—が尽きる」「国家の—」

the keywords being 存続にかかわる重大な, that is 命運 is serious and may affect the
continuance of the thing or person whose 命運 is being discussed. WWWJDICT gives
"doom" as translation; I don't think it is a good translation, but
thematically it fits very well, it's a kind of fate that may be the last fate
the thing or person ever sees.

As for the word itself, I wouldn't see 命運 as a switched version of 運命, rather
as something like

> 命運 ≒ 命【いのち】にかかわる運【うん】 (or 命にかかわる運命)

(運 is a word by itself), i.e. the life-or-death kind of fate.

Lastly, just to quantify your "more common", the
[BCCWJ](http://www.kotonoha.gr.jp/shonagon) has

> 運命 3260 results  
>  命運 236 results




大辞林 says

> **命運**  
>  そのこと（もの）の存続にかかわる重大な運命。「—が尽きる」「国家の—」

the keywords being 存続にかかわる重大な, that is 命運 is serious and may affect the
continuance of the thing or person whose 命運 is being discussed. WWWJDICT gives
"doom" as translation; I don't think it is a good translation, but
thematically it fits very well, it's a kind of fate that may be the last fate
the thing or person ever sees.

As for the word itself, I wouldn't see 命運 as a switched version of 運命, rather
as something like

> 命運 ≒ 命【いのち】にかかわる運【うん】 (or 命にかかわる運命)

(運 is a word by itself), i.e. the life-or-death kind of fate.

Lastly, just to quantify your "more common", the
[BCCWJ](http://www.kotonoha.gr.jp/shonagon) has

> 運命 3260 results  
>  命運 236 results

