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元

Yuán

HSK 1

Meaning

  • surname Yuan
  • the Yuan or Mongol dynasty (1279-1368)
  • currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan)
  • (bound form) first; original; primary
  • (bound form) basic; fundamental
  • (bound form) constituent; part
  • (prefix) meta-
  • (math.) argument; variable
  • era (of a reign)
  • (Tw) (geology) eon

Definition

元：基本货币单位；首要的；元素。

Yuan: basic monetary unit; primary; element.

Usage

“元”可用作货币单位，如“人民币元”；也可表示“首要的”，如“元首”；还可用作“元素”，如“化学元素”。

Yuan can be used as a monetary unit, e.g., 'RMB yuan'; also means 'primary', e.g., 'head of state'; and as 'element', e.g., 'chemical element'.

Examples

  • 1 这本书的价格是五十元。 (The price of this book is fifty yuan.)
  • 2 元旦是一年的第一天。 (New Year's Day is the first day of the year.)
  • 3 水是由氢和氧两种元素组成的。 (Water is composed of two elements: hydrogen and oxygen.)
  • 4 他是这个国家的元首。 (He is the head of state of this country.)
  • 5 一元二次方程是数学中的基础内容。 (Quadratic equations are basic content in mathematics.)

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