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Expressing "triggering" or "causing" with 引发 (yǐnfā)
Causation
Result & Consequence
Structure
Subject/Event + 引发 + Result
Explanation
引发 (yǐnfā) means to trigger, cause, or give rise to something. It is commonly used in news and formal writing to describe events that lead to consequences, such as 引发海啸 (trigger a tsunami). It is more formal than 引起.
Examples
暴雨引发了严重的洪水，好几条路都被淹了。
Bàoyǔ yǐnfā le yánzhòng de hóngshuǐ, hǎo jǐ tiáo lù dōu bèi yān le.
The heavy rain triggered severe flooding, and several roads were submerged.
这篇文章引发了网友的激烈讨论。
Zhè piān wénzhāng yǐnfā le wǎngyǒu de jīliè tǎolùn.
This article sparked heated discussion among netizens.
空气污染可能引发各种呼吸系统疾病。
Kōngqì wūrǎn kěnéng yǐnfā gè zhǒng hūxī xìtǒng jíbìng.
Air pollution can trigger various respiratory diseases.