So imagine you have a really cool toy robot that you want to take apart. But you want to keep all the pieces of your robot in a safe place. You can use a big box to store all the different robot parts separately.
Now, think of your computer as a big box too. It has lots of different files and folders, just like the different pieces of your toy robot. Each file and folder has a special name, which helps you find it and know what it is.
Sometimes, you might want to get rid of a file or folder from your computer. It's like taking a piece of your robot that you don't want anymore and throwing it away. But you don't want to throw it away forever, just in case you change your mind later and want it back.
This is where the "unlink" command in Unix comes in. When you use the "unlink" command on a file or folder, it's like removing a piece of your robot and putting it in a separate box, just in case you want it again later.
But here's the important thing: when you use the "unlink" command, you're just removing the piece from the big box of your computer. The piece is still there somewhere, but it's not part of your computer anymore. It's like you can't see it or find it easily because it's not connected to the big box.
Now, remember that you put the piece in a separate box in case you want it back later? That's what happens when you use the "unlink" command too. The file or folder you unlinked is still somewhere in your computer, but you need to know where to look for it. It's like having a secret place where you hide your favorite toy, and only you know where it is.
So, to summarize, the "unlink" command in Unix is like taking a piece of your toy robot and putting it in a separate box. The piece is not part of your robot anymore, but it's still somewhere in your house, waiting for you to find it if you want it back.