内存
nèi cún · HSK 7
internal storage
💾 内 (inner) + 存 (store) = inner storage = computer memory / RAM
内 means inner or internal; 存 means to store or save (same 存 as in 存款 savings). Together: the internal store a computer keeps data in while running, i.e. RAM.
内 — enclosure 冂 + enter 入
内 originally depicted something entering (入) into an enclosed space (冂), giving the core sense of 'inside' or 'within'. The pictographic image of going into a covered area extended naturally to meanings like inner, internal, and inland. It contrasts with 外 ('outside').
存 — 才 (talent/sprout) + 子 (child)
Originally written with 才 (a sprout breaking ground) over 子 (child), suggesting a child being raised or kept alive. The character came to mean 'to exist, to remain, to preserve.' Modern uses like 存在 (exist) and 保存 (preserve) reflect this core sense of continued being.