Firmware is the set of instructions that live on a chip inside a machine, not in a program you download, run, and delete. Your phone, your router, a washing machine, a keyboard — many of them have firmware that tells the hardware how to start up and how to behave.

Firmware韌體 is是 the set of instructions存在機器內部晶片上的一組指令 that live on a chip inside a machine（同上）, not in a program you download, run, and delete不是你下載、執行、刪除的那種程式。Your phone, your router, a washing machine, a keyboard你的手機、路由器、洗衣機、鍵盤 — many of them have firmware很多這類裝置都有韌體 that tells the hardware how to start up and how to behave告訴硬體該怎麼開機、該怎麼運作。

People say it sits between hardware (the physical thing) and software (programs you install), and that is exactly why the word was coined in 1967: firm + -ware, an in-between made from those two.

People人們 say it sits between hardware說它介於hardware（實體的硬體） (the physical thing)（同上） and software（軟體，你安裝的程式） (programs you install)（同上），and that is exactly why the word was coined in 1967這正是為什麼這個字在1967年被創造出來的原因: firm + -ware就是firm加上-ware, an in-between made from those two從這兩者之間造出來的字。

Though actually, the line is messier now. Phones get “firmware updates” that feel just like software updates, and some firmware can be rewritten. The old idea was that firmware was more fixed, more “firm,” than software.

Though actually不過其實, the line is messier now現在這條界線變得比較模糊了。Phones get "firmware updates"手機會有「firmware updates（韌體更新）」 that feel just like software updates感覺就跟軟體更新一樣, and some firmware can be rewritten而且有些韌體是可以被重新寫入的。The old idea was以前的想法是 that firmware was more fixed, more "firm," than software韌體比軟體更固定、更「firm（穩固）」。

In everyday tech talk in Taiwan this is a normal, slightly technical word — not slang, not literary. You hear it when a device is updated, or when a bad update stops the machine working.

In everyday tech talk in Taiwan在台灣日常的科技用語裡 this is a normal, slightly technical word這是一個普通、稍微帶點技術性的字 — not slang, not literary不是俚語，也不是文學用字。You你 hear it會聽到它 when a device is updated在裝置更新的時候, or when a bad update stops the machine working或是在一次失敗的更新讓機器停擺的時候。