When combined, the logic is very clear: 内 (inside) + 容 (to hold) = 内容 (that which is held inside). This beautifully and literally translates to the concept of “content” or “substance.”
In both modern and traditional Chinese culture, the 内容 (nèiróng) is often valued more highly than the 形式 (xíngshì), or “form.” There's a deep-seated cultural appreciation for substance over superficiality. An ancient proverb, 重内容, 轻形式 (zhòng nèiróng, qīng xíngshì), means “to value content and take form lightly.” In today's China, this concept has found a powerful new application in the digital world. The phrase 内容为王 (nèiróng wéi wáng), a direct translation of the Western marketing slogan “Content is King,” is a guiding principle for media companies, influencers, and businesses. It signifies that high-quality, engaging, and substantive content is the ultimate key to attracting and retaining an audience, regardless of the platform. While the Western concept of “content” is increasingly tied to digital media (blogs, videos, social media posts), 内容 (nèiróng) in Chinese retains a slightly broader and more formal weight. You can use it to describe the “substance” of a philosophical argument or the “subject matter” of a university course just as easily as you can use it to describe the “content” of a TikTok video. It bridges the gap between academic substance and digital media.
内容 (nèiróng) is an everyday word used across various domains: