efficient cause
In Aristotelian philosophy, the agent or force that brings something into being; one of the four causes alongside material, formal, and final causes.
In Aristotle's theory of the four causes, the efficient cause refers to the immediate trigger that sets things in motion.
The efficient cause of a sculpture is the sculptor.
Formal cause: the form, pattern, or essence that defines what a thing is.
Final cause: the purpose or end for which something is done.
Compound of 作用 (action, effect) and 因 (cause), used as a technical translation of Aristotle's efficient cause.