Meaning of 委托
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to entrust
- to trust
- to commission
How to use 委托
委托 is a fairly formal verb for officially asking a person or organization to handle something for you, often in legal, business, or service contexts. A common pattern is 委托 + someone + 做 something. Example: 我委托律师处理这件事。(Wǒ wěituō lǜshī chǔlǐ zhè jiàn shì.) I entrusted a lawyer to handle this matter.
委 (wěi) is the 委 in 委员会 (wěiyuánhuì, committee), a group you hand jobs to. 托 (tuō) has the hand radical 扌, like holding something up on your palm. Together, 委托 means placing a task in someone else's hands.
Common mistake: Learners often use 委托 for casual favors between friends. For everyday requests, 拜托 (bàituō) or 请 (qǐng) sounds more natural. Also, 托 (tuō) is first tone, so do not say it with a rising tone.
委托 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
委 wěi · to appoint · 8 strokes
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托 tuō · to hold up in one's hand · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 委托.
| 摩托 | mótuō | (loanword) motor; (loanword) motorbike; motorcycle (abbr. for 摩托車|摩托车[mo2 tuo1 che1]) |
| 拜托 | bàituō | to request sb to do sth; please! |
| 委员会 | wěiyuánhuì | committee; commission |
| 委员 | wěiyuán | committee member |
| 评委 | píngwěi | evaluation committee; judging panel; judging panel member; adjudicator (abbr. for 評選委員會委員| |
| 委屈 | wěiqu | wronged; aggrieved; to inconvenience; to put (sb) at a disadvantage; to do sb wrong |
| 寄托 | jìtuō | to entrust (to sb); to place (one's hope, energy etc) in |
| 委婉 | wěiwǎn | tactful; euphemistic |
| 托付 | tuōfù | to entrust |
| 衬托 | chèntuō | to serve to highlight; to serve as a backdrop or contrasting element |
| 烘托 | hōngtuō | background (of a painting); backdrop |
| 依托 | yītuō | to rely on; to depend on |
Questions about 委托
What does 委托 mean?
委托 (wěituō) means "to entrust; to trust" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 委托?
委托 is made of 2 characters: 委 (8 strokes), 托 (6 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 委托 an HSK word?
Yes. 委托 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 委托 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 委托 is written 委託.
What is the difference between 委托 and 拜托?
委托 is formal and often implies an official arrangement, like hiring an agent or company. 拜托 (bàituō) is a polite, personal request, and on its own it can simply mean "please".
Can 委托 be used as a noun?
Yes. It can mean a commission or an assignment, as in 接受委托 (jiēshòu wěituō), to accept a commission. It also appears in compounds like 委托人 (wěituōrén), the client or person who entrusts the task.