“致使 (zhì shǐ)” is a word that appears in the seventh lesson of the “New HSK6 Standard Course (Part 1)”. Here’s an example of how it appears:
tā de cū xīn zhì shǐ shì yàn shī bài.
他 的 粗 心 致 使 试 验 失 败。
His carelessness caused the test to fail.
Let’s think about this question: can “以致 (yǐ zhì)” replace “致使 (zhì shǐ)” in this sentence?
The answer: no. The reason is that the clause before “therefore” needs to be a complete sentence. Confused? Don’t worry! Today we’re taking a closer look at the usage of “以致 (yǐ zhì)” and “致使 (zhì shǐ)”.
First of all, both “以致 (yǐ zhì)” and “致使 (zhì shǐ)” can be used as conjunctions, both indicating the meaning of a certain result for a certain reason.
However, when “以致 (yǐ zhì)” is used as a conjunction, it means that the afore-mentioned situation leads to the following bad result or undesired ending. It generally means “results in [bad result]”, “to the point of [undesirable degree]”, or “as a result [undesirable outcome happens]”.
When used as a conjunction, “致使 (zhì shǐ)” generally means “due to a certain reason some result happened”, and the result can be good or bad.
tā měi tiān shuì zài dì xià shì, yǐ zhì áo huài le shēn tǐ.
他 每 天 睡 在 地 下 室，以 致 熬 坏 了 身 体。
He slept in the basement every day, which cause his body to break down.
zhè lǐ de fēng jǐng tài hǎo kàn le, zhì shǐ wǒ men liú lián wàng fǎn.
这 里 的 风 景 太 好 看 了，致 使 我 们 流 连 忘 返。
The scenery here was so beautiful that we lingered for a long time.
Secondly, when “以致 (yǐ zhì)” is used as a conjunction, it can only be used at the beginning of the second half of the sentence to connect the clauses, and the preceding clause must be a complete sentence. When “致使 (zhì shǐ)” is used as a conjunction, it can be used not only to connect words, but also to connect phrases or sentences.
tā shì xiān méi yǒu jìn xíng chōng fèn de diào chá, yǐ zhì zuò chū le cuò wù de jié lùn.
他 事 先 没 有 进 行 充 分 的 调 查，以 致 做 出 了 错 误 的 结 论。
He did not conduct a complete investigation beforehand, which led to a wrong conclusion.
jù dà de shān shí chōng xià shān gǔ zhì shǐ shù bǎi jiān fáng wū yán zhòng sǔn huǐ.
巨 大 的 山 石 冲 下 山 谷 致 使 数 百 间 房 屋 严 重 损 毁。
Hundreds of houses were badly damaged as huge rocks washed down the valley.
Only “致使 (zhì shǐ)” can be used as a verb, indicating the occurrence or continuation of a result due to a certain reason, and emphasizing a causal relationship. It can also be understood as indicating that the occurrence or continuation of the result is caused by the former occurrence. When “致使 (zhì shǐ)” is used as a verb, it is used as a predicate after the subject and must be followed by an object. “以致 (yǐ zhì)” has no such usage.
wǎng luò wèn tí zhì shǐ yóu jiàn yī zhí wú fǎ sòng dá.
网 络 问 题 致 使 邮 件 一 直 无 法 送 达。
The email has been unable to be delivered due to network problems.
guò dù pí láo zhì shǐ gōng zuò chū xiàn le chā cuò.
过 度 疲 劳 致 使 工 作 出 现 了 差 错。
Excessive fatigue led to erros in the work.
lián xù de dà bào xuě zhì shǐ kuài dì wú fǎ sòng dá.
连 续 的 大 暴 雪 致 使 快 递 无 法 送 达。
Consecutive blizzards made the courier delivery undeliverable.
měi lì de fēng jǐng zhì shǐ tā liú lián wàng fǎn.
美 丽 的 风 景 致 使 他 流 连 忘 返。
The beautiful scenery made him linger for a long time.
To summarize: “致使 (zhì shǐ)” can be used as a conjunction or a verb, and the result can be positive or negative. “以致 (yǐ zhì)” can only be used as a conjunction, the preceding clause must be a complete sentence, and the following result is generally negative.
Next let’s do the following exercise: choose the correct word or words “以致 (yǐ zhì)” or “致使 (zhì shǐ)” that belong in the parentheses. Note that there may be more than one correct answer!
1. jiā tíng huán jìng de yǐng xiǎng ，（ ） tā bù zài xiāng xìn qīn mì guān xì .
家 庭 环 境 的 影 响， （ ） 她 不 再 相 信 亲 密 关 系。
2. tā wèi le gōng sī máng de bù kě kāi jiāo ，（ ） méi yǒu shí jiān péi bàn jiā rén.
他 为 了 公 司 忙 得 不 可 开 交 ， （ ） 没 有 时 间 陪 伴 家 人。
3. huán jìng de pò huài （ ） zì rán zāi hài pín fán fā shēng.
环 境 的 破 坏 （ ） 自 然 灾 害 频 繁 发 生。
4. yīn wèi jiāo bù qǐ fáng zū ，（ ） tā liú luò jiē tóu .
因 为 交 不 起 房 租，（ ） 他 流 落 街 头。
5. shí nián de yì dì liàn ，（ ） tā men zuì zhōng zǒu xiàng fēn shǒu.
十 年 的 异 地 恋，（ ） 他 们 最 终 走 向 分 手。
6. xiǎo gāng de ruǎn ruò wú néng ，（ ） tā shī qù shēng zhí de jī huì.
小 刚 的 软 弱 无 能， （ ） 他 失 去 升 职 的 机 会。
7. tā wéi zhāng chāo chē ，（ ） niàng chéng zhòng dà chē huò.
他 违 章 超 车， （ ） 酿 成 重 大 车 祸。
8. tiān shēng de zuǐ chún jī xíng （ ） tā shuō huà dài yǒu bí yīn.
天 生 的 嘴 唇 畸 形 （ ） 他 说 话 带 有 鼻 音。
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