yang
Americannoun
noun
noun
Usage
What else does yang mean? Yang is a common Chinese surname. It also refers to a cosmic force present in ancient Chinese philosophy, typically associated with masculinity, sunlight, and the color white.
Explanation
Yang is the masculine, positive principle in Chinese philosophy. It’s associated with heaven and activity. Have you balanced your yin and yang? In Chinese philosophy, these two qualities or principles, which exist in everyone, represent femaleness (yin) and maleness (yang). Achieving a balance between the two is considered important for having a happy, healthy life. Yang has to do with maleness as well as heaven, light, activity, and warmth. The black and white symbol of yin and yang represents how they complete a whole. Yin and yang are almost always discussed together.
Vocabulary lists containing yang
Chinese History - Introductory
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Chinese History - Middle School and High School
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Chapters 3–4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Guy and Bruno constitute the two halves of a single personality, the yin and the yang, the superego and the id.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The source said the deputy should be the "yin to the yang" of No 10.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2025
He seemed extremely stable — like he could be the yin to my yang.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2025
Throughout the years Leon has remained a resident at Larry David's home, and the perfect sidekick: the yin to Larry’s yang and the only person able to balance Larry out.
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2024
As with the yin and yang of the Far East and Zoroaster’s dualism of good and evil in the Near East, creation and destruction were intermingled in Hinduism.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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Lead author Xi Yang completed the research during his Master's studies under Gerya's supervision.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
The Singapore-flagged Xin Long Yang and Liberia-flagged Rodos had loaded their oil at Saudi ports and were headed toward Bab al-Mandeb when they made U-turns and instead headed north toward the Suez Canal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Morningstar analyst Luke Yang told MarketWatch that hardware “eating everyone’s lunch” is a key theme in the market now.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
It's important women have the option to enter the profession, said Yang Mengchen, who leads another all-women repair and appliance cleaning team.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Do you happen to know what class Yang Fan is in?”
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.