Article 396 An entrustment contract is a contract whereby the principal and the agent agree that the agent shall handle the affairs of the principal.
Article 397 The principal may specifically authorize the agent to handle one or several affairs, and may also generally authorize the agent to handle all affairs.
Article 398 The principal shall pay in advance the expenses for handling the entrusted affairs. If the agent pays for the principal necessary expenses in handling entrusted affairs, the principal shall repay the expenses as well as the interest accrued.
Article 399 The agent shall handle the entrusted affairs in accordance with the instructions of the principal. If it is necessary to modify the instructions of the principal, the modification shall be approved by the principal; if it is difficult to contact the principal in an emergency, the agent shall properly handle the entrusted affairs, and shall promptly inform the principal of the situation afterwards.
Article 400 The agent shall handle in person the entrusted affairs. With the consent of the principal, the agent may sub-entrust to a third party. If the sub-entrustment obtains consent, the principal may directly instruct the third party sub-entrusted on an entrusted affair, and the agent shall only be liable for the choice of the third party and for the instructions given by the agent to the third party. If the sub-entrustment does not obtain consent, the agent shall be liable for any acts of the sub-entrusted third party, except in case of emergency, a sub-entrustment for agent to protect the interests of the principal.
Article 401 The agent shall, at the request of the principal, report on the situation of the entrusted affairs handled. Upon termination of the entrustment contract, the agent shall report the result of the entrusted affairs handled.
Article 402 Where the agent enters into a contract with a third party under the agent's name within the scope of authorization by the principal, and if the third party is aware of the proxy relationship between the agent and the principal, the said contract shall directly bind the principal and the third party, unless truthful evidence proves that the said contract binds only the agent and the third party.
Article 403 Under a contract concluded by the agent in the agent's name with a third party that is not aware of the proxy relationship between the agent and the principal, when the agent fails to perform obligations toward the principal because of the third party, the agent shall disclose the third party to the principal, and the principal may then exercise the rights of the agent vis-a-vis the third party, except that the third party is unwilling to enter into the contract if it is aware of the principal while making the contract with the agent.
Where the agent fails to perform obligations towards the third party because of the principal, the agent shall disclose the principal to the third party, and the third party may then choose either the agent or the principal as the counterpart to claim its rights. However, the third party may not change the counterpart once chosen.
Where the principal exercises the rights of the agent vis-a-vis the third party, the third party may address its plea against the agent to the principal. When the third party chooses the principal as the counterpart, the principal may address to the third party the principal's plea against the agent as well as the agent's plea against the third party.
核心词汇和搭配：
entrustment contract 委托合同
principal 委托人
handle the affairs 处理事务
authorize 授权
repay the expenses as well as the interest accrued 偿还该费用及其利息
modify 变更
modification 变更
sub-entrust to a third party 转委托
sub-entrustment 转委托
proxy relationship 代理关系
vis-a-vis 关于
counterpart 相对人
address to the third party the principal's plea against the agent as well as the agent's plea against the third party 向第三人主张委托人对受托人的抗辩以及受托人对第三人的抗辩
条文对照讲解：
第三百九十六条 委托合同是委托人和受托人约定，由受托人处理委托人事务的合同。
第三百九十七条 委托人可以特别委托受托人处理一项或者数项事务，也可以概括委托受托人处理一切事务。
第三百九十八条 委托人应当预付处理委托事务的费用。受托人为处理委托事务垫付的必要费用，委托人应当偿还该费用及其利息。
第三百九十九条 受托人应当按照委托人的指示处理委托事务。需要变更委托人指示的，应当经委托人同意；因情况紧急，难以和委托人取得联系的，受托人应当妥善处理委托事务，但事后应当将该情况及时报告委托人。
第四百条 受托人应当亲自处理委托事务。经委托人同意，受托人可以转委托。转委托经同意的，委托人可以就委托事务直接指示转委托的第三人，受托人仅就第三人的选任及其对第三人的指示承担责任。转委托未经同意的，受托人应当对转委托的第三人的行为承担责任，但在紧急情况下受托人为维护委托人的利益需要转委托的除外。
第四百零一条 受托人应当按照委托人的要求，报告委托事务的处理情况。委托合同终止时，受托人应当报告委托事务的结果。
第四百零二条 受托人以自己的名义，在委托人的授权范围内与第三人订立的合同，第三人在订立合同时知道受托人与委托人之间的代理关系的，该合同直接约束委托人和第三人，但有确切证据证明该合同只约束受托人和第三人的除外。
第四百零三条 受托人以自己的名义与第三人订立合同时，第三人不知道受托人与委托人之间的代理关系的，受托人因第三人的原因对委托人不履行义务，受托人应当向委托人披露第三人，委托人因此可以行使受托人对第三人的权利，但第三人与受托人订立合同时如果知道该委托人就不会订立合同的除外。
受托人因委托人的原因对第三人不履行义务，受托人应当向第三人披露委托人，第三人因此可以选择受托人或者委托人作为相对人主张其权利，但第三人不得变更选定的相对人。
委托人行使受托人对第三人的权利的，第三人可以向委托人主张其对受托人的抗辩。第三人选定委托人作为其相对人的，委托人可以向第三人主张其对受托人的抗辩以及受托人对第三人的抗辩。
附注：中文条文选自《中华人民共和国合同法》（现行有效），英文条文选自全国人大法规库版本。
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