yuan

¹ American  

[yoo-ahn, yyahn] / yuˈɑn, yüɑn /

noun

plural

yuan

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] / yuˈɑn, yüɑn /

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

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

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Yüan ³ American  

[yoo-ahn, yyahn] / yuˈɑn, yüɑn /

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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Etymology

Origin of yuan

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

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

Analysts were expecting earnings of 16.94 billion yuan on sales of 108.16 billion yuan, according to a FactSet poll.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

This means routing through Iran’s territorial waters, working out a toll and paying the extortion money in Chinese yuan or cryptocurrency.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

“If a buyer of crude from the Persian Gulf pays money for crude in yuan, that will help them pass Hormuz,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The Financial Times said the price to pay would be a dollar a barrel of oil, paid in crypto-currency or yuan, China's currency.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Without saying much, the manager paid him six hundred yuan, or about seventy-two dollars.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden