Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • 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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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

There is a yin and yang to that.

From Salon Mar. 25, 2025

They are equal and opposite, yin and yang.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

"These two things make finding quasars at these distances incredibly difficult," said lead author Daming Yang, a doctoral student in Hennawi's group at Leiden University.

From Science Daily Jul. 9, 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

But while Yang provided similar assistance to authorities, his offences were so "grave" that his assistance "was insufficient to warrant a more lenient punishment", the Changzhou court said.

From BBC Jul. 7, 2026

Morningstar analyst Luke Yang told MarketWatch that news of OpenAI’s IPO delay was the main factor impacting Oracle’s stock performance.

From MarketWatch Jun. 26, 2026

But I wasn’t so sure about Yang Sze-Fu.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training