Taikyoku
/ta.i.kʲo.kɯ/noun
A Japanese term for the “Supreme Ultimate,” the foundational principle from which yin and yang arise in Chinese cosmology.
Did you know?Taikyoku is the Japanese reading of Chinese 太極, the same concept commonly rendered in English as taiji or tai chi—the primordial unity symbolized by the familiar yin-yang design.
Etymological Timeline
Late Old Chinese
Chinese
太極
“The “Great Ultimate” or highest cosmic principle; 太 means “great,” while 極 means “limit,” “pole,” or “ultimate point.””
Classical Chinese
Chinese
tàijí
“The primordial unity or cosmic origin from which complementary forces such as yin and yang emerge.”
6th–7th Century
Middle Chinese
tài-kɨk
“The Middle Chinese pronunciation underlying later Sino-Japanese and modern Chinese readings.”
8th–9th Century
Japanese
taikyoku
“The Sino-Japanese reading of 太極, used for the Supreme Ultimate in Japanese Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian vocabulary.”
19th–20th Century
English
taikyoku
“A specialized transliteration used in English-language discussions of Japanese philosophy, cosmology, and martial arts.”