depend on/upon
[phrasal verb] 1 depend on/upon (someone or something)
: to be determined or decided by (something)取决于；依…而定 -
We're not sure if we'll have the picnic. It depends on the weather. [=if the weather is good we will have the picnic]我们不能确定是否会去野餐。这取决于天气。
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“Will you go back to college?” “I don't know. It depends on whether or not I can afford it.”“你还会回去读大学吗？”“我不知道。这取决于我能否负担得起。”
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The stamp's value depends on how rare it is.邮票的价值取决于其稀少的程度。
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Depending upon your child's weight and height, she or he may have to sit in the back seat of the car.从您孩子的体重和身高看，她/他可能得坐在汽车的后座。
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It's not clear how many people were at the rally. Reports vary between 10,000 and 20,000, depending on who's counting. [=some people report that there were 10,000 people at the rally, others report that there were 20,000]不清楚有多少人参加了集会。不同的报道人说法不一，有1万到2万不等。
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sometimes used informally without on or upon有时不与on或upon连用，非正式用法 — see also life depends on at 1life 2
: to need (someone or something) for support, help, etc.依赖；依靠 -
He no longer depends on [=relies on] his parents for money.他不再依靠父母的资助了。
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They depend heavily/largely/solely/entirely on her income to pay the bills. [=without her income they would not be able to pay their bills]他们在很大程度上/仅仅/完全依靠她的收入来支付账单。
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: to be sure about (someone or something) : to trust (someone or something)相信；信赖 -
She's someone you can always depend on. [=count on]她是你永远可以信赖的人。
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She will be remembered as a woman upon whom people could depend.她是一个可以信赖的女人，将被人们铭记。
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The manufacturer promises quality you can depend on.生产商承诺其质量可以信赖。
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sometimes used humorously有时作诙谐用法 -
You could always depend on him to disagree. [=you could always be sure that he would disagree]你大可放心，他永远都持反对意见。
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I can always depend on it to rain on days when I forget my umbrella.我敢肯定，要是哪天我忘记带伞，那天准保下雨。