Taiji
/ˈtaɪ.dʒiː/noun
A Chinese philosophical concept meaning the supreme generative principle from which yin and yang arise and transform.
Did you know?The term appears in the Yijing tradition centuries before taijiquan existed, so its original meaning was cosmological rather than martial.
Etymological Timeline
Late 1st millennium BCE
Classical Chinese
太極
“The “Great Ultimate,” a supreme cosmic principle associated with the emergence and interaction of yin and yang.”
3rd Century BCE–2nd Century CE
Classical Chinese
太極
“A philosophical term used in the Yijing commentary tradition for the primal organizing principle of the cosmos.”
6th–10th Century
Middle Chinese
tʰɑi d͡zˠək̚
“The inherited pronunciation of 太極 in medieval Chinese.”
11th–12th Century
Song Chinese
太極
“A central cosmological concept in Neo-Confucian philosophy, especially in discussions of principle, polarity, and transformation.”
19th–20th Century
Modern Mandarin
tàijí
“The “Great Ultimate,” also used in compounds connected with yin-yang cosmology and internal martial arts.”
20th Century
English
taiji
“An English transliteration of Mandarin tàijí, used in philosophy, Chinese religion, and martial-arts writing.”