The Chinese word 肇事 (zhàoshì) is a verb-object compound formed by combining the character 肇 (zhào), meaning "to initiate" or "to cause" (often with a negative connotation of provoking trouble or an accident), with the character 事 (shì), meaning "an event" or "incident". Literally, the combination means "to cause an event", but its specific and common usage has narrowed to refer exclusively to causing an accident, disturbance, or trouble, such as in the phrase 肇事司机 (zhàoshì sījī), meaning "the driver at fault (in an accident)". Thus, the formation semantically fuses an action of instigation with a resulting negative incident.