内容

• Pinyin: nèi róng
• Hanzi breakdown: 内 = 冂 (enclosure) + 入 (enter), meaning inside; 容 = 宀 (roof) + 谷 (valley), meaning to contain or hold

Meaning

Content; substance. The material or subject matter contained in something.

One of the most common nouns in modern Chinese. Used for the content of books, articles, classes, videos, speeches, websites, and more. Often paired with 丰富 (内容丰富 = rich in content) or 有意思 (内容有意思 = interesting content). Also used abstractly: 工作内容 (job responsibilities).

Examples

1. 这本书的内容非常有意思。 The content of this book is very interesting.
2. 老师让我们预习明天上课的内容。 The teacher asked us to preview the content of tomorrow's class.
3. 视频的内容跟我想的不一样。 The content of the video was different from what I expected.

Usage Guide

Context: education, media, work

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 这篇文章的内容很丰富。(The content of this article is very rich.)
• 请介绍一下会议的主要内容。(Please introduce the main content of the meeting.)

Don't Say

• 这个菜的内容很好吃。(Don't use 内容 for physical things like food — it refers to informational or abstract substance. Say 这个菜的味道很好.)

Origin & History

内 means inside; 容 means to contain or hold (宀 roof + 谷 valley, a valley that holds things). Together: what is held inside — content.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal