致使zhìshǐ

Formal Causative Verb: 致使 (zhìshǐ) — Cause / Lead to (Negative Result)

Meaning: Cause [an object/party] to suffer (an undesirable result)

Pattern

"致使" (zhìshǐ) is a formal causative (pivotal) verb meaning "to cause / render", widely used in news reports and legal documents:
(1) Structure: "Cause A + 致使 + Object B + Negative Outcome (V/Adj)".
Here A is an objective cause (storm, negligence, malfunction), B is the affected party, and V/Adj is an adverse result (delay, heavy loss, injury, failure).
(2) Unlike neutral "使 / 让", "致使" almost exclusively introduces negative outcomes (damage, disruption, casualties).

1
暴雨致使多个航班延误。
Bàoyǔ zhìshǐ duō gè hángbān yánwù.
The torrential rain caused multiple flights to be delayed.
2
他的疏忽致使公司损失惨重。
Tā de shūhū zhìshǐ gōngsī sǔnshī cǎnzhòng.
His negligence caused the company to suffer heavy losses.
3
网络故障致使大量用户无法登录。
Wǎngluò gùzhàng zhìshǐ dàliàng yònghù wúfǎ dēnglù.
The network outage caused a large number of users to be unable to log in.

•Used only for negative outcomes; requires the pivotal structure "致使 + Object B + V/Adj" (unlike 导致, which can take a bare result noun).

⚠️ Common Mistakes:

•Using 致使 for positive or desirable outcomes: use 使, 让, or 令 instead.

•Omitting the affected party B and placing a bare verb after 致使: 致使 requires "Object B + Predicate".

•Confusing 致使 with 导致 by placing a single bare noun after 致使 (e.g., *致使失败 -> 导致失败).

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