The word 交代 is formed by combining the character 交 (jiāo), which carries meanings of "to hand over", "to deliver", or "interaction", with the character 代 (dài), meaning "to substitute", "to act on behalf of", or "generation". Conceptually, the term originates from the idea of one person handing over a duty, responsibility, or set of information to another who will take their place or continue the task. This core notion of transferring an account or charge from one party to another evolved metaphorically to encompass the modern senses of "to explain", "to brief", "to confess", or "to account for", as all involve the handing over of information from one person (or time) to the next.