| 元素 | yuán sù | element; element of a set; chemical element |
| 元 | yuán | Chinese monetary unit; dollar; primary; first; surname Yuan; the Yuan or Mongol dynasty (1279-1368) |
| 元件 | yuán jiàn | element; component |
| 元年 | yuán nián | first year of Emperor's reign |
| 元朝 | Yuán cháo | Yuan or Mongol dynasty (1279-1368) |
| 元首 | yuán shǒu | head of state |
| 元帅 | yuán shuài | marshal (in the army) |
| 元旦 | yuán dàn | New Year's Day |
| 元气 | yuán qì | strength; vigor; vitality; original vital breath (traditional Chinese medicine) |
| 元曲 | Yuán qǔ | Yuan dynasty theater, including poetry, music and comedy |
| 元音 | yuán yīn | vowel |
| 元宝 | yuán bǎo | a silver or gold ingot; mock ingot (burnt as offering in worship); a name for ancient currency; a rare genius; Yuanbao district of Dandong city 丹东市, Liaoning |
| 元老 | yuán lǎo | grandee; old leadership; chief figure (in a gerontocracy) |
| 元老院 | yuán lǎo yuàn | upper house; senate; senior statesmen's assembly |
| 元史 | Yuán shǐ | History of the Yuan dynasty, twenty third of the 24 dynastic histories 二十四史, compiled under Song Lian 宋濂 in 1370 during the Ming dynasty, 210 scrolls |
| 元月 | yuán yuè | first month of the Lunar calendar; the New Year |
| 元山 | Yuán shān | Wonsan city in Kangweon province 江原道 of North Korea |
| 元世祖 | Yuán Shì zǔ | lit. progenitor of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368 CE), title of Khubilai Khan (1215-1294 CE), grandson of Genghis Khan 成吉思汗, first Yuan dynasty emperor, reigned 1260-1294 |
| 元代 | Yuán dài | the Yuan or Mongol dynasty (1279-1368) |
| 元元本本 | yuán yuán běn běn | from start to finish |
| 元勋 | yuán xūn | leading light; founding father; principal proponent |
| 元古代 | Yuán gǔ dài | Proterozoic (geological era 2500-540m years ago) |
| 元古宙 | Yuán gǔ zhòu | pre-Cambrian (geological eon 2500-645m) |
| 元器件 | yuán qì jiàn | component |
| 元坝 | Yuán bà | Yuanba district of Guangyuan city 广元市, Sichuan |
| 元坝区 | Yuán bà qū | Yuanba district of Guangyuan city 广元市, Sichuan |
| 元夜 | yuán yè | Lantern Festival; night of 15th of first lunar month; see also 元宵 |
| 元太祖 | Yuán tài zǔ | posthumous title of Genghis Khan 成吉思汗 (1162-1227) |
| 元宵 | yuán xiāo | Lantern Festival; night of the 15th of the first lunar month; see also 元夜; sticky rice dumplings |
| 元宵节 | Yuán xiāo jié | Lantern festival, the final event of the Spring festival 春节, on 15th of first month of the lunar calendar |
| 元宝区 | Yuán bǎo qū | Yuanbao district of Dandong city 丹东市, Liaoning |
| 元宝山 | Yuán bǎo shān | Yuanbaoshan district, Chifeng city, Inner Mongolia |
| 元宝山区 | Yuán bǎo shān qū | Yuanbaoshan district, Chifeng city, Inner Mongolia |
| 元山市 | Yuán shān shì | Wonsan city in Kangweon province 江原道 of North Korea |
| 元恶 | yuán è | arch-criminal; master criminal |
| 元恶大憝 | yuán è dà duì | arch-criminal and archenemy (idiom) |
| 元曲四大家 | Yuán qǔ sì dà jiā | Four great Yuan dramatists, namely: Guan Hanqing 关汉卿, Zheng Guangzu 郑光祖, Ma Zhiyuan 马致远 and Bai Pu 白朴 |
| 元朗 | Yuán Lǎng | Yuen Long town in northwest New Territories, Hong Kong |
| 元朗市 | Yuán Lǎng shì | Yuen Long town, Hong Kong Island |
| 元末 | Yuán mò | final years of Yuan dynasty (1279-1368); mid 14th century |
| 元末明初 | Yuán mò Míng chū | late Yuan and early Ming; mid 14th century |
| 元氏 | Yuán shì | Yuanshi county in Shijiazhuang 石家庄, Hebei |
| 元氏县 | Yuán shì xiàn | Yuanshi county in Shijiazhuang 石家庄, Hebei |
元江哈尼族彝族傣
族自治县 | Yuán jiāng Hā ní zú Yí zú Dǎi zú zì zhì xiàn | Yuanjiang Hani, Yi and Dai autonomous county in Yuxi 玉溪, Yunnan |
| 元江县 | Yuán jiāng xiàn | Yuanjiang Hani, Yi and Dai autonomous county in Yuxi 玉溪, Yunnan |
| 元素周期表 | yuán sù zhōu qī biǎo | periodic table |
| 元语言学意识 | yuán yǔ yán xué yì shí | metalinguistic awareness |
| 元语言能力 | yuán yǔ yán néng lì | metalinguistic ability |
| 元谋 | Yuán móu | Yuanmou county in Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture 楚雄彝族自治州, Yunnan |
| 元谋县 | Yuán móu xiàn | Yuanmou county in Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture 楚雄彝族自治州, Yunnan |
