Taiji (philosophy)

In Chinese philosophy, Taiji or Tai chi () is a cosmological term for the "Supreme Ultimate" state of the world and affairs - the interaction of matter and space, the relation of the body and mind. While Wuji is undifferentiated, timeless, absolute, infinite potential, Taiji is often portrayed as differentiated, dualistic, and relative. Yin and yang originate from Wuji to become Taiji. Compared with wuji (, meaning 'without limit'), Taiji describes movement and change wherein limits do arise. Wuji is often translated "no pole" (no polarity, no opposite). Taiji is often translated "polar", with polarity, revealing opposing features as in hot/cold, up/down, dry/wet, day/night. However, Taiji has sometimes been thought of as a monistic concept similar to wuji, as in the Wujitu diagram. The term Taiji and its other spelling T'ai chi (using Wade–Giles as opposed to pinyin) are most commonly used in the West to refer to Taijiquan (or T'ai chi ch'uan, 太極拳), an internal martial art, Chinese meditation system and health practice. This article, however, refers only to the use of the term in Chinese philosophy and in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Taiji () is a compound of tai "great; grand; supreme; extreme; very; too" (a superlative variant of da "big; large; great; very") and ji "pole; roof ridge; highest/utmost point; extreme; earth's pole; reach the end; attain; exhaust". In analogy with the figurative meanings of English pole, Chinese ji 極 "ridgepole" can mean "geographical pole; direction" (e.g., siji 四極 "four corners of the earth; world's end"), "magnetic pole" (Beiji 北極 "North Pole" or yinji 陰極 "negative pole; cathode"), or "celestial pole" (baji 八極 "farthest points of the universe; remotest place"). Combining the two words, means "the source, the beginning of the world". Common English translations of the cosmological Taiji are the "Supreme Ultimate" or "Great Ultimate"; but other versions are the "Supreme Pole", "Great Absolute", or "Supreme Polarity". Taiji references are found in Chinese classic texts associated with many schools of Chinese philosophy.