元 (yuán) means "element, yuan" with HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: element
Other meanings:
- yuan
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle bone form of 元 shows a standing human figure with the head emphasised by a single horizontal stroke or enlarged dot at the top. It is a pictograph focused on the head, and the original meaning was literally head or top of the body. The lower part is the same human-figure element seen in 儿 and 兄.
Form evolution
Bronze inscriptions make the head element clearer, sometimes with a double horizontal line above the figure. Seal script regularises this into the two upper strokes sitting above the 儿-like body, and clerical script straightens the whole structure into the familiar four-stroke modern form. The top two horizontal strokes in today's 元 are the descendants of the enlarged head.
How the meaning evolved
From the original meaning of head, 元 extended to first, primary, origin, and chief, giving compounds like 元旦 (first day of the year) and 元首 (head of state). It was later adopted as the name of the Yuan dynasty and as the standard word for the currency unit (one yuan). The currency and ordinal senses dominate everyday modern usage, but the primary and foundational senses survive in formal writing.
Cultural note
元 and 圆 are both read yuán and both appear on banknotes, with 元 as the formal unit and 圆 (or 圓) as the older full form still seen on traditional currency. The idiom 一元复始 (a new cycle begins) uses the original first or origin sense and is common around Chinese New Year.
Basic info
| Pinyin | yuán |
| Meanings | element, yuan |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #492 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 元
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.