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:
The Liverpool-born coach describes himself as the yin to Tuchel's yang and acknowledges their partnership can "look a bit strange at times" because of their difference in height and background.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
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
There is a yin and yang to that.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025
Seattle quarterback Geno Smith embodied the yin and yang of this wild game, throwing three beautiful touchdown passes but offsetting those with three interceptions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2024
They are equal and opposite, yin and yang.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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Instead of handing over the actual text, the AI pulls out key ideas and explains them in simpler language -- something Yang thinks could be huge for students.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
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
I’d scored six points during a basketball scrimmage in PE, and Coach Yang told me that if I kept that up, maybe I could try out for the team.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
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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.