委派 is a formal verb meaning 'to appoint' or 'to assign (a person to a post or task)'. It combines 委 (wěi), which conveys entrusting or delegating responsibility, and 派 (pài), meaning 'to send' or 'to dispatch'. Together, they emphasize the official, top-down nature of assigning someone — often by an authority figure or organization — to a specific role, position, or duty. The word implies intentionality, legitimacy, and accountability.

It’s commonly used in administrative, governmental, corporate, or diplomatic contexts — for example, when a company assigns an employee to lead a project, or when a government appoints an ambassador. Unlike more casual verbs like 安排 (ānpái, 'to arrange'), 委派 carries weight and formality; it’s rarely used in personal or informal situations. It typically takes a person or group as its object and often appears with prepositions like 到 (dào, 'to') or 为 (wéi, 'as') to indicate destination or role.