| 稀土元素 | xī tǔ yuán sù | rare earth element (chemistry) |
| 稀有元素 | xī yǒu yuán sù | trace element (nutrition) |
| 纪元前 | jì yuán qián | before the common era (BC) |
| 缅元 | Miǎn yuán | Burmese dollar |
| 万元户 | wàn yuán hù | household with savings or annual income of 10,000 yuan or more (considered a large amount in the 1970s, when the term became established) |
| 行行出状元 | háng háng chū zhuàng yuán | lit. in every trade, a master appears (idiom); fig. You can produce outstanding achievements in any task, provided you put it enough love and diligence |
| 复合元音 | fù hé yuán yīn | diphthong (such as putonghua ɑi, uei etc) |
| 西元 | Xī yuán | Christian era; Gregorian calendar; AD (Anno Domini); same as 公元 |
| 西元前 | Xī yuán qián | before the common era; BC |
| 解元 | jiè yuán | first-placed candidate in the provincial imperial examinations (old) |
| 赵元任 | Zhào Yuán rèn | Chao Yuenren, a Chinese American linguist who devised the Gwoyeu romatzyh or Guoyu romazi 国语罗马字 romanization system |
| 轻元素 | qīng yuán sù | light element |
| 通用字元组 | tōng yòng zì yuán zǔ | Universal character set (UCS) |
| 重元素 | zhòng yuán sù | heavy element (such as uranium) |
| 金元券 | jīn yuán quàn | currency issued by Nationalist Government in 1948 |
| 银元 | yín yuán | flat silver (former coinage); also written 银圆; silver dollar |
| 锕系元素 | ā xì yuán sù | actinoids (rare earth series), namely: actinium Ac89 锕, thorium Th90 钍, protoactinium Pa91 镤, uranium U92 铀, neptunium Ne93 镎, plutonium Pu94 钚, americium Am95 镅, curium Cm96 锔, berkelium Bk97 锫, californium Cf98 锎, einsteinium Es99 锿, fermium Fm100 镄, mendelevium Md101 钔, nobelium No102 锘, lawrencium Lr103 铹 |
| 镧系元素 | lán xì yuán sù | lanthanoid (rare earth series), namely: lanthanum La57 镧, cerium Ce58 铈, praseodymium Pr59 镨, neodymium Nd60 钕[nü3], promethium Pm61 钷, samarium Sm62 钐, europium Eu63 铕, gadolinium Gd64 钆, terbium Tb65 铽, dysprosium Dy66 镝, holmium Ho67 钬, erbium Er68 铒, thulium Tm69 铥, ytterbium Yb70 镱, lutetium Lu71 镏 |
| 闭元音 | bì yuán yīn | close vowel |
| 开元盛世 | Kāi yuán shèng shì | peak of Tang prosperity during Kaiyuan, reign name 713-741 of Tang emperor Xuanzong 唐玄宗 |
| 开国元勋 | kāi guó yuán xūn | founding figure (of a country or dynasty); founding father; fig. also used of company or school etc; ounding father; fig. also used of company, school etc |
| 阮元 | Ruǎn Yuán | scholar-official in the Qing dynasty (1764-1849) |
| 陈元光 | Chén Yuán guāng | Chen Yuanguang (657-711), Tang dynasty general with posthumous title 开漳圣王, i.e. Sacred King, founder of Zhangzhou 漳州, Fujian |
| 双元音 | shuāng yuán yīn | diphthong |
| 电子元器件 | diàn zǐ yuán qì jiàn | electronic component |
| 韩元 | Hán yuán | Won (Korean currency) |
| 魁元 | kuí yuán | brightest and best; chief; first among peers |
