The word 软件 (software) is formed through a direct conceptual analogy to physical objects. It combines the character 软 (ruǎn), meaning "soft" or "flexible", with 件 (jiàn), meaning "item" or "component". This creates the idea of a "soft component", which is a deliberate contrast to 硬件 (yìngjiàn), or "hardware", the "hard component". The term thus metaphorically distinguishes the intangible, changeable instructions (software) that operate a computer from the physical, fixed machine itself (hardware).