Also called yuan dollar. a copper coin of the Republic of China, equal to 100 cents; dollar.
a paper money, brass or cupronickel coin, and monetary unit of the People's Republic of China, equal to 10 jiao or 100 fen.
1915–20; < Chinese yuán literally, round, circular; cf. yen 1
The yuan is the Chinese equivalent of an American dollar or a British pound. When you're traveling in China, you'll need yuan to pay for meals, museums, hotels, and souvenirs. In Mandarin, yuán means a "round object" or "round coin," and in the Qing Dynasty, the yuan was a round, silver coin. Today in China, money is issued in both coins and banknotes, which are printed in amounts ranging from one to 100 yuan. It takes ten jiao to make one yuan, or 100 fen — so if you pay in cash, your change may come in yuan, jiao, and fen.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Merz also took aim at China for allegedly under-valuing its currency, the yuan, making the country's exports cheaper abroad.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Moscow acquiesced to the Chinese yuan to be the primary currency for a planned regional-development bank covering Central Asia, known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Development Bank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Its Shenzhen-listed shares gain 5.2% to 287.28 yuan, while its Hong Kong-listed shares rise 2.1% to 241.60 Hong Kong dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
For instance, former finance chief Lai Xiaomin was executed in 2021 for taking 1.8bn yuan in bribes over a 10-year period.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
He offered Shin food, lodging, and five yuan a day— about sixty cents—if he was willing to tend pigs.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
“The diplomatic backdrop has improved but remains short of operational normalization,” said Kpler’s Ana Subasic, trade risk analyst, and Yuan Li, junior risk and compliance analyst.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
Yuan settlement in goods and commodity trade has risen sharply, accelerating amid the conflict in the Middle East, with Iran and the United Arab Emirates signaling openness to yuan transactions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
In China, its launch pricing started at 299,900 Chinese Yuan, which converts to roughly $43,000—in the same range as a Tesla Model Y. Yet the Xiaomi experience feels more premium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Swiatek squeezed past 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya with an error-strewn performance on Saturday, while she grappled with her serve and committed 34 unforced errors in her first-round match against Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026
Suddenly, through the machinations of a rival, the ruler was tempted into evil courses, Ku Yuan was dismissed, and adversity loomed in the distance for the country.
From Sidelights on Chinese Life by Macgowan, J. (John)
He also continued the Sung tradition under the Yüan dynasty to which, as a matter of fact, he belonged only during the second part of his life.
From Chinese Painters A Critical Study by Seaver, Frances
The Master said to Yen Yüan, To go forward when in office and lie quiet when not; only I and thou can do that.
From The Sayings Of Confucius by Lyall, Leonard Arthur
The Yüan epoch, therefore, appears in the light of a transition period connecting the fifteenth century of Ming with the thirteenth century of Sung.
From Chinese Painters A Critical Study by Seaver, Frances
Yen Yüan asked how to rule a kingdom.
From The Sayings Of Confucius by Lyall, Leonard Arthur
Paintings of the Yüan or early Ming period.
From Chinese Painters A Critical Study by Seaver, Frances
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.
