rely

Compared meaning: to depend on someone or something (verb).

比较义项：依赖，信赖（动词）。

• rely 本词

  Rely on adds a sense of trust or confidence in someone's dependability, similar to "count on"; it sounds odd in the impersonal phrase "it depends on whether…", which depend uses naturally.

  rely on 带有信任或对某人可靠性的信心的意味，接近“count on”；在表示条件的非人称句式“it depends on whether…”中使用 rely 会显得不自然，而 depend 则很自然。

  You can always rely on Maria to double-check the numbers before sending the report.

  你总是可以信赖玛丽亚，她会在发送报告前仔细核对数字。

• depend

  Depend on is the neutral, everyday choice for needing or being affected by something, especially in the fixed phrase "it depends on whether/how/what…"; it doesn't necessarily imply personal trust.

  depend on 是更中性、日常的用词，用于表示需要某事物或受其影响，尤其常用于固定句式“it depends on whether / how / what…”；它不一定隐含个人信任。

  Whether we can go hiking tomorrow depends on the weather forecast.

  我们明天能不能去远足取决于天气预报。

Rely and depend are very close, both often used with 'on' for needing or trusting someone. Rely on suggests trust in someone's reliability, like 'count on'. Depend on is more neutral, the natural choice in 'it depends on whether...', which sounds odd with rely.

这两个词在“依赖、信赖”这一义项上非常接近，都常接“on”表示依靠某人或某事；但 rely on 更强调对可靠性或诚信的信任，depend on 则更中性，常用于表达客观条件或因果关系。