内存

• Pinyin: nèi cún
• Hanzi breakdown: 内 = 冂(enclosure) + 人(person) — inside an enclosed space; 存 = 才(young plant/emerging) + 子(child/seed) — to store, preserve, exist

Meaning

RAM; internal memory; the working memory of a computing device that temporarily holds data in active use.

Refers to a computer or device's RAM, which holds data currently being processed. Distinct from 硬盘 (hard drive/storage). Also used loosely to refer to storage capacity in smartphones. A standard term in tech and consumer electronics discourse.

Examples

1. 这台旧电脑的内存只有四吉字节，运行大型软件时明显卡顿，需要尽快升级。 This old computer only has 4GB of RAM, so it noticeably lags when running large software and needs an upgrade as soon as possible.
2. 购买新手机时，用户往往更关注内存大小，因为这直接影响多任务处理的流畅程度。 When buying a new phone, people often pay more attention to RAM, because it directly affects how smoothly multitasking runs.
3. 服务器的内存不足导致系统频繁崩溃，技术团队连夜加装了新的内存条。 Insufficient RAM on the server caused the system to crash repeatedly, so the technical team worked overnight to install additional memory.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, computing, consumer electronics, IT

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这款游戏对设备要求较高，至少需要八吉字节内存才能流畅运行，否则会出现明显卡顿。(This game has high device requirements — it needs at least 8 GB of RAM to run smoothly; otherwise noticeable lag will occur.)
• 系统工程师发现服务器内存使用率长期超过九十五percent，建议立即扩容以避免性能下降。(The systems engineer found that server RAM usage had consistently exceeded 95% and recommended immediately expanding capacity to prevent performance degradation.)

Don't Say

• 将'内存'与'硬盘'混用 — 内存 specifically refers to RAM (volatile working memory); for disk storage, use 硬盘 or 存储空间

Origin & History

内(inside/internal) + 存(store/exist). Together: internal storage — the memory that lives inside the device.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Millennials and younger

Social background: Universal