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

Conversely, if China tried to sell off its horde of more than $760 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds, which would drive up interest rates in the U.S., that would also increase the value of yuan, making Chinese exports even more expensive. —Bob Davis, Time, 12 Apr. 2025

The yuan is allowed to trade within a 2% band of this midpoint rate. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025

The basic earnings per share were 5.55 yuan, rising by 50.4 percent year-over-year. —Li Jun, Footwear News, 6 Apr. 2025

China’s electric vehicle (EV) titan BYD reported 777 billion yuan ($107 billion) in 2024, surpassing Elon Musk's Tesla in yearly sales as the global clean-energy vehicle market becomes more competitive. —Peter Lyon, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2025

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