The word “taiji”, translated literally, means “great pole”. It is a Chinese cosmological word that means “Supreme Ultimate”. The concept of taiji (supreme ultimate) is contrasted by wuji (without ultimate) and these concepts appear in both Taoist and Confucian Chinese philosophy.
Tie Chi! 🤣
Ok then, what is “Tai Chi”?
As a followup to the “What is Taiji?” post…
The words “taiji” and “tai chi” are different spellings of the same thing. Taiji uses the Wade–Giles system of transcription or pronunciation and Tai chi (or T’ai chi) uses the Pinyin phonetic system. They both refer to the concept of “supreme ultimate” in Chinese philosophy and Taoist spirituality.
In the west, however, both of these terms are commonly used to refer to Taijiquan or T’ai chi ch’uan, which is a form of Chinese internal martial art and health/meditation practice.