*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of yuan

From Mandarin 元 (yuán), from 圓/圆 (yuán, “circle > round coin”) referring to the piece of eight. Compare Japanese 円(えん) (en), Korean 원(圓) (won). Doublet of yen and won.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The basic unit of money in China.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 元 (yuán), from 圓/圆 (yuán, “circle > round coin”) referring to the piece of eight. Compare Japanese 円(えん) (en), Korean 원(圓) (won). Doublet of yen and won.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "元"
      },
      "expansion": "元 (yuán)"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "圓",
        "2": "circle > round coin"
      },
      "expansion": "圓/圆 (yuán, “circle > round coin”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ja",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "円",
        "2": "えん"
      },
      "expansion": "円(えん) (en)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ko",
        "2": "원(圓)"
      },
      "expansion": "Korean 원(圓) (won)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yen",
        "3": "won"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of yen and won"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "元",
      "元#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "圓",
      "圓#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "圆",
      "圆#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "piece of eight",
      "piece of eight"
    ],
    [
      "円(えん)",
      "円#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "원(圓)",
      "원#Korean"
    ],
    [
      "yen",
      "yen#English"
    ],
    [
      "won",
      "won#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The basic unit of money in China."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e74d9882d0584e92d9b4b351c41fbb8cda889e317ae9fe373f438284a3615a46",
      "rawRecordSha256": "97416ba33f3acc45ff61e0cf8c28b260b289d1c6954e7d5cd6df14398e234608",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 454978
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

One of the five branches of the government of the Republic of China.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 院 (yuàn).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "院"
      },
      "expansion": "院 (yuàn)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "院",
      "院#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "One of the five branches of the government of the Republic of China."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Taiwan"
      ],
      "recordId": "229cca11369168b18bf89ee48c876c05f4d59ead0954af068c80994665c6b406",
      "rawRecordSha256": "226524c3abcd06c763552fccd0c6eaac2480897975224eea85c4c42438434003",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 454979
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for yuan →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-eXVhbg