---
title: "Xialing Meaning: 下令 (xiàlìng) Means “to give an order”"
description: "下令 (xiàlìng) means “to give an order; to order”. Hear its tones, see what 下 and 令 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xialing"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 下令 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

下令 xiàlìng

## to give an order; to order

## Its characters

1. 下 xià to issue
2. 令 lìng order

## In a sentence

老板下令周末加班。 The boss ordered everyone to work overtime on the weekend.

司马懿越看越怀疑，马上**下令**：“后队变前队，快退！

From [空城计 · The Empty Fort Strategy: Zhuge Liang's famous bluff](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-empty-fort-strategy-zhuge-liang#library-word-440-442)

[More about 下令](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B8%8B%E4%BB%A4)

## More words with 下 or 令

- [当下 dāngxià](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dangxia)
- [地下 dìxià](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dixia)
- [零下 língxià](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/lingxia)
- [留下 liúxià](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/liuxia)
- [命令 mìnglìng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/mingling)
- [如下 rúxià](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ruxia)
- [上下 shàngxià](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shangxia)
- [私下 sīxià](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/sixia)
- [天下 tiānxià](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/tianxia)
- [下班 xiàbān](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xiaban)

## Keep 下令 for Review

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