Difference between 運命 and 命運 To my knowledge, {} is the more common of the two terms, meaning fate / destiny. {} is clearly the same 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 {} seems to be the more common of the two.

says

> ****
> ——

the keywords being , that is is serious and may affect the continuance of the thing or person whose 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 as a switched version of , rather as something like

> ≒ (or )

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

Lastly, just to quantify your "more common", the BCCWJ has

> 3260 results
> 236 results