交代

jiāodài

HSK 7

交代 — jiāodài

1. to transfer (duties, responsibilities) to someone else; to hand over

   你出差期间，别忘了把你的工作交代给同事。 nǐ chūchāi qījiān biéwàngle bǎ nǐ de gōngzuò jiāodài gěi tóngshì — While you're on a business trip, don't forget to hand over your work to a colleague.

2. to give instructions or tell someone to do something; to brief

   老师在考试前把注意事项交代清楚了。 lǎoshī zài kǎoshì qián bǎ zhùyìshìxiàng jiāodài qīngchǔ le — Before the exam, the teacher clearly explained the points to watch out for.

3. to explain; to give an account; to account for oneself; to confess

   他被问到钱的去向时，无言以对，无法交代。 tā bèi wèndào qián de qùxiàng shí wúyányǐduì wúfǎ jiāodài — When asked about where the money went, he was speechless and couldn't account for it.

4. (jocular) to come to a bad end; to get into trouble or die (humorous/ironic)

   别乱爬那么高，小心摔下去交代不清。 bié luàn pá nàme gāo xiǎoxīn shuāixiàqù jiāodài bù qīng — Don't climb so high carelessly — be careful or you might fall and meet a bad end.