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• yuan
  yuan

  noun

  a copper coin of the Republic of China, equal to 100 cents; dollar.
• Yuan
  Yuan

  noun

  (in the Republic of China) a department of government; council.
• Yüan
  Yüan

  noun

  the Mongol dynasty in China, 1260–1368, founded by Kublai Khan.

yuan

¹ American  

[yoo-ahn, yyahn] / juˈɑn, jüɑn /

noun

• yuan
  plural

1. Also called yuan dollar. a copper coin of the Republic of China, equal to 100 cents; dollar.

2. a paper money, brass or cupronickel coin, and monetary unit of the People's Republic of China, equal to 10 jiao or 100 fen.

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Yuan ² American  

[yoo-ahn, yyahn] / juˈɑn, jüɑn /

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

1. (in the Republic of China) a department of government; council.

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Yüan ³ American  

[yoo-ahn, yyahn] / juˈɑn, jüɑn /

noun

1. the Mongol dynasty in China, 1260–1368, founded by Kublai Khan.

2. Yuan.

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Yüan ¹ British  

/ ˈjuːˈæn /

noun

1. the imperial dynasty of China from 1279 to 1368

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Chinese porcelain produced during the Yüan dynasty, characterized by the appearance of under-glaze blue-and-white ware

Yüan ² British  

/ ˈjuːˈæn, ˈjuːˈɛn /

noun

1. a river in SE central China, rising in central Guizhou province and flowing northeast to Lake Tungting. Length: about 800 km (500 miles)

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yuan ³ British  

/ ˈjuːˈæn /

noun

1. Also called: renminbi, renminbi yuan. the standard monetary unit of China, divided into 10 jiao and 100 fen

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• yuan
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of yuan

1915–20; < Chinese yuán literally, round, circular; cf. yen ¹

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Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

yuan Yuan Yüan

For the nine-month period, net profit rose 31.6% to 64.53 billion yuan, while revenue was up 56.2% to 442.14 billion yuan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Nursery executive principal Zhi Jinglin was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 300,00 yuan.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

The most actively traded January iron ore contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange rises 0.3% to 674.0 yuan a ton.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Iron ore will maintain its strong supply and weak demand fundamentals over the next month with prices likely in the range between 600 yuan and 735 yuan a ton.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Reunification, that Chinese ideal, she could not eat an orange without reciting to herself, as she did at New Year’s, quan jia tuan yuan — the whole family together.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

"People used to compare who had spent more," dance teacher Yuan told AFP at a new retail space in central Shanghai filled with luxury handbags, belts and jewellery items -- all second hand.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

Yuan, her mother and her father all tested positive for elevated levels of cadmium in their blood in 2019.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Last week, Yuan published a research paper on the long-term effects of cadmium poisoning suffered by herself, her mother and her father.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Having demolished Judd Trump 6-1 in the semi-finals, Wu had early breaks of 117 and 80 to move 3-1 ahead against Yuan.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Dschou Bau appointed his deceased officer Mong Yuan as their leader, and wrote his commands on a paper which he burned, in order thus to place them at the princess’s disposal.

From The Chinese Fairy Book by Richard Wilhelm

He was a descendant of the first Sung emperor and held an hereditary post which he resigned at the time the Yüan dynasty came into power.

From Chinese Painters A Critical Study by Frances Seaver

We may possibly prefer the gripping formula of Sung and Yüan art, but we are forced to acknowledge that this later work has great charm and extreme refinement.

From Chinese Painters A Critical Study by Frances Seaver

Seen as a whole, the Yüan period witnessed the assembling, the concentration, so to speak, of the ardent but scattered inspirations of the great masters of the preceding school.

From Chinese Painters A Critical Study by Frances Seaver

Yen Yüan said, May I ask what are its signs?

From The Sayings Of Confucius by Leonard Arthur Lyall

Yen Yüan said, I should like to make no boast of talent or show or merit.

From The Sayings Of Confucius by Leonard Arthur Lyall

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