HSK 6
致使
zhìshǐ
to cause
Structure
Cause/Subject + 致使 + Object/Result (Noun or Clause)
How it works
致使 is a formal verb used to indicate that a specific cause has led to a particular result. It is almost exclusively used to describe negative, undesirable, or unfortunate outcomes (similar to 'result in' or 'lead to').
Examples
连日的大雨致使通往山区的道路被封锁了。
Liánrì de dàyǔ zhìshǐ tōngwǎng shānqū de dàolù bèi fēngsuǒ le.
Consecutive days of heavy rain caused the roads leading to the mountain area to be blocked.
这种药的副作用可能会致使患者出现头晕症状。
Zhè zhǒng yào de fùzuòyòng kěnéng huì zhìshǐ huànzhě chūxiàn tóuyūn zhèngzhuàng.
The side effects of this medicine may cause patients to experience dizziness.
一个小的疏忽致使整项工程被迫停工。
Yī gè xiǎo de shūhu zhìshǐ zhěng xiàng gōngchéng bèi pù tínggōng.
A small oversight caused the entire project to be forced to stop work.
Common mistakes
Do not use 致使 for positive results; for positive outcomes, use 使得 (shǐde) or 导致 (dǎozhì) is occasionally acceptable, but '促使' (cùshǐ) is better for encouragement/positive motivation.
Tip
Think of '致使' as 'cause + negative consequence.' If the result is 'success' or 'happiness,' swap it for another word like '使' or '让'.
More HSK 6 grammar
See 致使 in real Chinese
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