🗣️ root cause
The Mental Picture
Connected to Plants & Agriculture. Picture a tall tree or weed. What you see above ground (leaves and stem) is driven entirely by the hidden roots anchor-deep beneath the soil.
🎧 How Fluent Speakers Use It
- "We fixed the software bug, but we still need to investigate the root cause of the server crash."
- "Addressing surface symptoms without finding the root cause won't solve the problem permanently."
⚖️ Sound Natural
| ❌ Stilted / Direct L1 Translation | ✅ Natural Target Expression |
|---|---|
| "We need to find the deepest hidden reason for this mistake." | "We need to find the root cause." |
🧩 Quick Self-Test
Test Yourself
What happens if you only fix the "surface symptoms" of a problem rather than its "root cause"?
Show Answer
Just like pulling off the leaf of a weed without digging up its root, the problem will eventually grow back!