yangEnglishOxford New American Dictionaryyang /yaNG, , jæŋ , yäNG, jɑŋ / ▸ noun (in Chinese philosophy) the active male principle of the universe, characterized as male and creative and associated with heaven, heat, and light. Contrasted with yin. – ORIGIN from Chinese yáng ‘male genitals’, ‘sun’, ‘positive’.