元 yuán — yuan (the unit of Chinese money)
yuán (second tone, rising)yuan2
yuan (the unit of Chinese money)
HSK 2· HSK 1–4 (classic)measurenoun
Meanings
yuan (the unit of Chinese money)
The yuan. It is the written form — price tags, receipts and bank forms all say 元 — while people say 块 out loud for exactly the same money.
measure
Example sentences
- 这本书三十元。這本書三十元。Zhè (fourth tone, falling) běn (third tone, dipping) shū (first tone, high and level) sānshí (first tone, high and level) yuán. (second tone, rising)···
This book costs thirty yuan.
- 一公斤苹果五元，不贵。一公斤蘋果五元，不貴。Yì (fourth tone, falling) gōngjīn (first tone, high and level) píngguǒ (second tone, rising) wǔ (third tone, dipping) yuán, (second tone, rising) bú (second tone, rising) guì. (fourth tone, falling)···
A kilo of apples is five yuan — that’s not expensive.
Common mistakes
Not quite这个多少元？
Correct这个多少钱？
Asking the price uses 钱, not the unit: 多少钱. 元 appears in the answer — 三十元 — and even then people usually say 三十块 aloud.