Usage note
使表示让某种情况发生。
shǐ biǎo shì ràng mǒu zhǒng qíng kuàng fā shēng。
Make means to cause something to happen.
Context note
使常用于书面语和正式表达。
shǐ cháng yòng yú shū miàn yǔ hé zhèng shì biǎo dá。
Make often appears in written and formal language.
5 examples
这件事使我很高兴。
zhè jiàn shì shǐ wǒ hěn gāo xìng。
This matter makes me very happy.
天气变化使路很滑。
tiān qì biàn huà shǐ lù hěn huá。
The weather change makes the road slippery.
努力使他成功。
nǔ lì shǐ tā chéng gōng。
Hard work made him successful.
这个结果使大家放心。
zhè ge jié guǒ shǐ dà jiā fàng xīn。
This result put everyone at ease.
他的话使我想了很多。
tā de huà shǐ wǒ xiǎng le hěn duō。
His words made me think a lot.
5 mini stories
老师的话使我更认真学习。
lǎo shī de huà shǐ wǒ gèng rèn zhēn xué xí。
The teacher's words made me study more seriously.
下雨使地面变湿了。
xià yǔ shǐ dì miàn biàn shī le。
Rain made the ground wet.
这个消息使全班都开心了。
zhè ge xiāo xī shǐ quán bān dōu kāi xīn le。
This news made the whole class happy.
他的努力使成绩提高了。
tā de nǔ lì shǐ chéng jì tí gāo le。
His effort made the grades improve.
这首歌使我想起家乡。
zhè shǒu gē shǐ wǒ xiǎng qǐ jiā xiāng。
This song made me think of my hometown.
Mini dialogue
使人开心
A
音乐能使你开心吗？
Yīn yuè néng shǐ nǐ kāi xīn ma?
Can music make you happy?
B
当然，好听的歌总使我心情变好。
Dāng rán, hǎo tīng de gē zǒng shǐ wǒ xīn qíng biàn hǎo.
Of course, good songs always make my mood better.
使人进步
A
老师说阅读使人进步。
Lǎo shī shuō yuè dú shǐ rén jìn bù.
The teacher says reading makes people improve.
B
是的，努力学习能使我们更聪明。
Shì de, nǔ lì xué xí néng shǐ wǒ men gèng cōng míng.
Yes, studying hard can make us smarter.
Related words and contrasts
similar
让
ràng
to let/make
让 is more common in spoken Chinese for 'to make/let' someone do something.
similar
令
lìng
to cause
令 is more formal and often used in written Chinese to express 'to make' someone feel a certain way.