Meaning of 硬件
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- hardware
How to use 硬件
硬件 usually refers to computer or electronic hardware, and it pairs naturally with 软件 (ruǎnjiàn), software. It is also used figuratively for physical facilities, like the buildings and equipment of a school or hospital. Example: 这台电脑的硬件很好。(Zhè tái diànnǎo de yìngjiàn hěn hǎo.) This computer's hardware is very good.
硬 (yìng) means hard, and 件 (jiàn) is a piece or item. Hardware is literally the hard pieces of a computer, the parts you can touch.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 硬 with the wrong side component, confusing it with 便 (biàn), which has the person radical 亻 instead of the stone radical 石. Remember that hard things are made of stone, so 硬 takes 石.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
硬 yìng · hard · 12 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
件 jiàn · item · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 硬件.
| 条件 | tiáojiàn | condition; circumstance; term; factor; requirement; prerequisite; qualification |
| 事件 | shìjiàn | incident; event |
| 文件 | wénjiàn | document; file |
| 邮件 | yóujiàn | mail; post |
| 证件 | zhèngjiàn | certificate; papers; credentials; document; ID |
| 电子邮件 | diànzǐ yóujiàn | |
| 软件 | ruǎnjiàn | software |
| 附件 | fùjiàn | appendix (in a document); enclosure (accompanying a document) |
| 案件 | ànjiàn | case; instance |
| 硬币 | yìngbì | coin |
| 信件 | xìnjiàn | letter (sent by mail) |
| 零件 | língjiàn | part; component |
Questions about 硬件
What does 硬件 mean?
硬件 (yìngjiàn) means "hardware" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 硬件?
硬件 is made of 2 characters: 硬 (12 strokes), 件 (6 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 硬件 an HSK word?
Yes. 硬件 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 硬件 mean something other than computer parts?
Yes. People often use it for physical infrastructure or facilities, such as 学校的硬件设施 (xuéxiào de yìngjiàn shèshī), a school's facilities. In this sense it contrasts with 软件, meaning things like staff quality or services.
What is the opposite of 硬件?
The opposite is 软件 (ruǎnjiàn), software, using 软 (ruǎn), soft. The two words are often said together, as in 硬件和软件 (yìngjiàn hé ruǎnjiàn).