人民币
rénmínbì
人民币 (rénmínbì) is the Chinese term for CNY.
In business or formal contexts, 人民币 is used to specify the currency type, similar to how one would use 'CNY' or 'RMB' in English.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 人民币 is composed of 人民 (rénmín), meaning 'people' and 币 (bì), meaning 'currency'.
Which one should you use?
While 人民币 refers to the currency itself, 元 (yuán) is the formal unit of account used when stating specific amounts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the commonly used term for Chinese New Year is 新年.
How do you pronounce it?
rénmínbì
Did you know?
- When writing a check or a very formal legal document, one might use the complex version of the number one, 壹 (yī), instead of the standard 一 (yī) to prevent people from altering the amount.
- If you are shopping in a market, you will frequently hear the term 毛 (máo), meaning 'hair', used to refer to ten cents.
- While 人民币 refers to the currency system, the word 块 (kuài) used for 'yuan' originally described the physical shape of silver ingots used before the modern currency.
Examples in context
- 祝你（们）春节快乐！Wishing you (all) a happy Chinese New Year!
- 新春快乐，万事如意！Happy New Year, may all your wishes come come true!
- 过年好吃好玩！Have a great time eating and playing during the New Year!
- 我没有人民币。Wǒ méiyǒu Rénmínbì.I don't have any RMB.
- 这张纸币是人民币。Zhè zhāng zhǐbì shì Rénmínbì.This banknote is RMB.
Example conversation
Wei and Xiaowen are shopping together at a market.
- 伟 Wei这个包多少人民币？Zhège bāo duōshǎo rénmínbì?How much is this bag in RMB?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen一共两百人民币。Yīgòng liǎngbǎi rénmínbì.It is two hundred RMB in total.
- 伟 Wei太贵了，能便宜点吗？Tài guì le, néng piányi diǎn ma?That's too expensive, can it be cheaper?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好吧，一百五十人民币给你。Hǎo ba, yībǎi wǔshí rénmínbì gěi nǐ.Alright, I'll give it to you for 150 RMB.
