saddle

Compared meaning: to give someone a duty or task (verb).

比较义项：使承担责任/任务（动词）。

• charge

  Formal and often official — used when someone is properly given a duty or responsibility, with no negative feeling about it being unwanted.

  语气正式，常用于正式场合，表示某人被正式赋予某项职责或任务，不带“不情愿承担”的负面意味。

  The bank formally charged her with managing the new downtown branch.

  银行正式指派她负责管理市中心的新分行。

• saddle 本词

  Informal and negative — implies someone is unfairly burdened with a heavy or unwanted task, often as a side effect of someone else's decision.

  语气非正式且带负面色彩，暗示某人被不公平地强加了沉重或不情愿承担的任务，往往是他人决定所带来的附带后果。

  The new policy unfairly saddled small business owners with extra paperwork.

  新政策不公平地让小企业主承担了额外的文书工作负担。

Both words can mean to give someone a duty or task. Charge is formal and neutral: someone is properly given a responsibility. Saddle is informal and negative: someone unfairly gets a heavy, unwanted task. Charge's 'price' sense and saddle's 'horse seat' sense are not compared.

这两个词在“使某人承担责任或任务”这一意义上相近，但语气不同：charge 语气正式、中性，指正式指派某人负责某事；saddle 语气非正式且带负面色彩，强调使人承受不情愿的沉重负担。这里不比较 charge 的“收费”义（如 charge extra for delivery）和 saddle 的“马鞍；给马装鞍”义（如 tighten the saddle）。