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

Ships passing through Hormuz have at times paid tolls to Iran in Bitcoin; Iran sells an increasing share of its oil to China in yuan; and India may now be buying Iranian oil in yuan as well. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026

Total profits for smelting & pressing of non-ferrous metals across the country more than doubled to reach 142 billion yuan ($21 billion) in the first quarter, according to National Bureau of Statistics data released on Monday. —Bloomberg, 27 Apr. 2026

The goal is to ship 10,000 of these boxes by the end of this year at 100,000 yuan ($14,627) each, before scaling up, Von said. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026

In 2024, PwC was fined by mainland Chinese authorities 441 million yuan ($62 million) over its Evergrande audit. —ABC News, 23 Apr. 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