: the masculine active principle in nature that in Chinese cosmology is exhibited in light, heat, or dryness and that combines with yin to produce all that comes to be

Examples of yang in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The movie's most fundamental yings and yangs are abundant: Life's highs and lows, births and deaths, and successes and failures are all demonstrated through Button's unusual path and the characters he's met along the way. Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023 Look, these are difficult balancing acts, and the yin and the yang of this is that there's some degree of trade-off between wages and jobs. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2023 There is a little bit of a ying and a yang. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 6 May 2021 The yin to its yang, Gucci Guilty Eau de Parfum Pour Homme, generates a deep sensuality, embracing a base of patchouli, leather, and incense, while deviating from a traditional male scent profile with uplifting notes of orange blossom and neroli. ELLE, 1 Mar. 2023 In some ways, Bluntman is the yang to Topher’s yin. Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2020 The calming yin to coffee’s battery acid-like yang, tea has long taken the second spot as people’s caffeinated hot beverage of choice — but no longer does that seem to be the case. Karina Hoshikawa, refinery29.com, 14 Apr. 2020 Combined, their yin-yang dynamic propels the narrative momentum and is absolutely crucial to the emotional and action-packed denouement. Brian Truitt, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2020 In chic, crisp pantsuits, they’re introduced as ying and yang. Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yang.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Beijing) yáng

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of yang was in 1671

Dictionary Entries Near yang

Cite this Entry

“Yang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yang. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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