'最终有个交代‘, '交代’ meaning

Question

The sentence comes to my mind is

at least, in the end, I can say that I tried everything I could.

Is there a corresponding expression for ‘交代’ here?

Answer 1

「交代 」

1. (v) to answer to / to explain / to report ;

2. (n) explanation / justification

Example:

向民眾交代 (answer to the people / explain to the people)

給民眾一個交代 (give people an explanation)

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最終有個**交代** meaning

It means " At the end, there will be an explanation"

More example:

怎樣向皇上交代 ( how to explain / report it to the emperor?)

你可獻上我的頭顱作為交代 ( you can offer my head as your report)

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Additional Note:

交代 mainly means "explain" or "explanation", and by extension, it also carries meanings of "report" and "instruction"

• If you explain how you've carried out a task to your boss - that would be "giving a report".

• If you explain how to carry out a task to your son - that would be "giving an instruction".

Answer 2

At first I thought, 最终有了一个交代 means "I finally found an/the answer"

Now I'd like to know what 交代 really means and how to translate it.

你快死了。
你让我照顾你的孩子。
我把他抚养成人。
我最终对你有了一个交代。

I have done your bidding, but what is 有个交代？？

Looks like the other side of "I am in your debt", ie "you are in my debt".

Apparently there is a sense of something which takes a long time to 交代.

Edit: Got this comment from italki, seems to make sense:

In traditional Chinese culture, people believe that there is an afterlife. But people are not able to move on to the afterlife if they have unfinished last wishes. Their souls are still entangled in this world. If "有个交代” is related to finished last will, in a way it means "let go".

So I think I can translate 我最终对你有了一个交代。 as "I have finally achieved closure for you."