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

For years, the Chinese government has been trying various tactics to try to boost the birthrate, including cash handouts of 3,600 yuan ($507) for each child until the child turns three. —John Ruwitch, NPR, 30 Oct. 2025

People needing dollars, euros, yen or yuan must offer more pesos to get them. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 26 Oct. 2025

China retaliated with a similar charge of 400 yuan ($56) per net ton on American vessels, starting on the same day. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025

Total bilateral trade was down nearly 9 percent in the first eight months of 2025, at 1.03 trillion yuan ($142 billion). —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Oct. 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