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  • yang
    yang
    noun
    (in Chinese philosophy and religion) the positive, bright, and masculine principle, the counterpart of yin.
  • Yang
    Yang
    noun

yang

American  
[yahng, yang] / jɑŋ, jæŋ /

noun

  1. (in Chinese philosophy and religion) the positive, bright, and masculine principle, the counterpart of yin.


Yang 1 British  
/ jæŋ /

noun

  1. See Yin and Yang

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Yang 2 British  
/ jæŋ /

noun

  1. Chen Ning (ˈtʃɛn ˈnɪŋ). born 1922, US physicist, born in China: with Tsung-Dao Lee, he disproved the physical principle known as the conservation of parity and shared the Nobel prize for physics (1957)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing yang

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

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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