yang
noun
(in Chinese philosophy and religion) the positive, bright, and masculine principle, the counterpart of yin.
Jump To:
yang
American
[yahng, yang]
/ jɑŋ, jæŋ /
noun
Yang
1
British
/ jæŋ /
noun
Yang
2
British
/ jæŋ /
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 universe is always yin and yang, but there’s always another side of things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
"We are quite different people - very much yin and yang - but I think decisions are better made with two brains rather than one as it stops hubris," says Begg, who is London-based.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026
"We see the yin and yang of human existence in the ancient Maya," Lentz said.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 26, 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
She became set on tracking down The Unburned Book by Taiwanese poet Yang Du, a bittersweet reflection on protesters who later went into exile.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Wenjing Yang, MD, PhD, research assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, was co-first author of the study.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
Yang, the future Moonshot founder, began intensive training in programming at age 17, competing in China’s National Olympiad in Informatics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Their hypothesis was confirmed when footage of a Ying Yang Twins performance went viral in 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Mrs. Yang answers, her Bluetooth headset around her neck.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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.
