引发

• Pinyin: yǐn fā
• Hanzi breakdown: 引 = 弓 + 丨 (bow + pulled arrow — to draw, to lead); 发 = 癶 + 弓 (feet apart + bow — to release, to trigger)

Meaning

To trigger; to cause; to give rise to; to set off a chain of consequences. Used for events, reactions, debates, or crises initiated by some action or condition.

A formal and widely used verb implying that something acts as a catalyst for a subsequent development. More formal and neutral than 引起 (a near-synonym, also 'to cause/arouse') — 引发 tends to suggest a stronger initiating force or a more serious set of consequences. Common collocations: 引发争议 (to trigger controversy), 引发关注 (to draw attention/concern), 引发危机 (to trigger a crisis), 引发反应 (to cause a reaction).

Examples

1. 这篇学术论文发表后在学界引发了广泛争议，数十位学者相继发表回应文章，围绕核心论点的辩论持续了近两年之久。 After this academic paper was published, it triggered widespread controversy in the field; dozens of scholars published responses, and the debate over its core argument lasted nearly two years.
2. 气候变化正在全球范围内引发越来越频繁和强烈的极端天气事件，各国政府被迫重新审视现行的基础设施设计标准和应急响应机制。 Climate change is triggering more frequent and more intense extreme weather events worldwide, forcing governments to rethink current infrastructure design standards and emergency response systems.
3. 那起工厂安全事故不仅造成了重大人员伤亡，更引发了公众对地方监管部门长期失职问题的强烈质疑和舆论追责。 That factory safety accident not only caused heavy casualties, it also triggered intense public scrutiny and demands for accountability over long-standing negligence by local regulators.

Usage Guide

Context: journalism, public policy, science, social commentary, law

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这项技术突破短短数月就引发行业商业模式重构，促使传统企业加速数字化转型。(This technological breakthrough triggered an industry-wide business model reset within months and pushed traditional companies to speed up digital transformation.)
• 历史学家指出，这场危机的直接导火索是监管失灵，根源则是数十年积累的结构性矛盾，并非单一事件引发。(Historians point out that the direct trigger of the crisis was regulatory failure, while its roots were decades of accumulated structural contradictions, not a single event.)

Don't Say

• 我引发了他来这里 — 引发 does not mean 'to cause someone to come somewhere' — that sense uses 引来 or 把…带来; 引发 specifically means to trigger a reaction, event, or process, not to bring a person to a location

Origin & History

引 (to lead/draw — 弓 bow + 丨 an arrow drawn back; to draw a bowstring, to lead, to guide) + 发 (to emit/send out — 癶 feet apart + 弓 bow; to release an arrow, to emit, to trigger)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal