Chinese phrase
是什么原因导致的？ shì shén me yuán yīn dǎo zhì de
Meaning
What caused it?
When to use it
It asks what caused an event or problem. It is a neutral way to ask for an explanation when the cause is not known.
Example dialogue
这次停电，是什么原因导致的？ zhè cì tíng diàn shì shén me yuán yīn dǎo zhì de
What caused this power outage?
可能是附近施工弄断了电缆，我们已经报修了。 kě néng shì fù jìn shī gōng nòng duàn le diàn lǎn wǒ men yǐ jīng bào xiū le
Maybe nearby construction cut the cable. We have already reported it for repair.