yuan

noun

yu·​an ˈyü-ən  yü-ˈän 

plural yuan

1

: the basic monetary unit of the People's Republic of China see Money Table compare renminbi

2

: the dollar of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Examples of yuan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The average monthly salary for high-demand algorithm engineers was 20,035 yuan (about $2,900), online jobs platform Zhilian revealed last month. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2026

Then negotiations over the fee, paid in Chinese yuan or stablecoins, begin, with friendlier countries getting a lower fee. —Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026

Under the new agreement, Nairobi’s debt will be converted to yuan, and the final payment will be delayed until 2040, the South China Morning Post reported. —Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 2 Apr. 2026

The city of Wuxi, a tech and manufacturing hub in the eastern province of Jiangsu, is offering up to 5 million yuan, or about $726,000, for projects predicated on the new AI agent. —CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Beijing) yuán

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for yuan

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon

Kids Definition

yuan

noun

yu·​an ˈyü-ən  yu̇-ˈän 

plural yuan

1

: the basic unit of money in China

2

: a coin or bill worth one yuan

Geographical Definition

Yuan

geographical name

Yu·​an ˈywen 

ˈywän

1

river 500 miles (805 kilometers) long in southeast central China flowing from Guizhou northeast to northeastern Hunan

2

see red sense 4