服务器

• Pinyin: fú wù qì
• Hanzi breakdown: 服 = 月 + 卩 (body + person — to serve); 务 = 矛 + 攴 (task/duty components — affairs, duties, service); 器 = four 口 (mouths) + 犬 (dog) — utensil, device, instrument

Meaning

Server; a computer or software system that provides services, data, or resources to other computers (clients) over a network.

Core IT infrastructure term. Types include 文件服务器 (file server), 数据库服务器 (database server), 云服务器 (cloud server), 应用服务器 (application server). 服务器宕机 = server downtime/crash. 分布式服务器 = distributed server. Central to tech industry discourse.

Examples

1. 促销期间流量暴增，技术团队提前扩容并优化服务器集群，保持稳定响应。 During the sale, traffic surged, so the technical team expanded and optimized the server cluster in advance to keep responses stable.
2. 数据中心选址要考虑供电、带宽和灾害风险，一旦核心服务器故障，影响极大。 Data center location must consider power supply, bandwidth, and disaster risk, because if the core server fails, the impact is huge.
3. 边缘计算成熟后，企业把部分任务从中央服务器下沉到边缘节点，降低延迟。 As edge computing matured, companies moved some tasks from central servers to edge nodes to reduce latency.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, IT, computing, business

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 企业常在自建服务器与云服务器之间权衡，前者更可控，后者更灵活。(Companies often weigh self-built servers against cloud servers; the former is more controllable, while the latter is more flexible.)
• 服务器宕机对金融交易系统损失巨大，因此机构常建热备和异地容灾。(Server downtime can cause huge losses for financial trading systems, so institutions often build hot backups and off-site disaster recovery.)

Don't Say

• 服务器 for a simple local computer or workstation — 服务器 specifically refers to machines or systems designed to serve multiple clients over a network; a personal computer used only locally is 个人电脑 or 工作站

Origin & History

服务 (service; to serve) + 器 (device; instrument; container) — the device that provides service

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal