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

Aier trades in Shenzhen and has a market capitalization of about 96 billion yuan, with its shares near a five-year low after falling 26% over the past 12 months. —Julia Fioretti, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026

Its midsize electric pickup, the Rely R08, debuted in China last year at just CN¥88,800 yuan – that's under US$13,000. —New Atlas, 7 Mar. 2026

The model starts at 269,800 yuan, about $39,105. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 6 Mar. 2026

Li also reiterated the importance of boosting domestic consumption, although China's funding of 250 billion yuan ($36 billion) earmarked for consumer goods trade-in subsidies was lower than last year’s 300 billion yuan. —ABC News, 5 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