元 (yuán) — (classifier) yuan, the basic unit of Chinese currency
Definition
元 (yuán) is the classifier used when counting units of Chinese money (e.g. 五元, 十元). It is not a general-purpose counter — always appears with money amounts.
classifier
yuan, the basic unit of Chinese currency
Examples
- 元。Zhè běn shū shì shí yuán.This book is ten yuan.
- 元。Wǒ yǒu wǔ yuán qián.I have five yuan.
- 元。Yí gè píng guǒ liǎng yuán.One apple costs two yuan.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
The shape 元 shows a figure with two lines for a head, one connected to the body and one above it, emphasizing the head.
Appears in
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