太極

See also: 太极

Chinese

		too (much); very; extremely too (much); very; extremely; highest; greatest	utmost; pole; extreme utmost; pole; extreme; to reach the limit
trad. (太極)		太	極
simp. (太极)		太	极

Chinese Wikipedia has an article on:

太極 / 太极

Wikipedia ^zh

Etymology

Earliest attested in the Xi Ci of the I Ching and in the Zhuangzi. The Mawangdui silk manuscript writes 大恆／大恒 for 太極／太极 (tàijí).

是故易有太極，是生兩儀，兩儀生四象，四象生八卦，八卦定吉凶，吉凶生大業。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

是故易有太极，是生两仪，两仪生四象，四象生八卦，八卦定吉凶，吉凶生大业。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Xi Ci (繫辭)

Shìgù Yì yǒu Tàijí, shì shēng liǎng yí, liǎng yí shēng sì xiàng, sì xiàng shēng bā guà, bā guà dìng jíxiōng, jíxiōng shēng dàyè. [Pinyin]

Therefore the Changes has the Supreme Ultimate, which generates the two primary forms; the two forms generate the four images; the four images generate the eight trigrams; the eight trigrams determine fortune and misfortune; fortune and misfortune generate the great enterprise.

在太極之先而不為高，在六極之下而不為深，先天地生而不為久，長於上古而不為老。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

在太极之先而不为高，在六极之下而不为深，先天地生而不为久，长于上古而不为老。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Zhuangzi, 大宗師

Zài Tàijí zhī xiān ér bù wéi gāo, zài liùjí zhī xià ér bù wéi shēn, xiān tiāndì shēng ér bù wéi jiǔ, zhǎng yú shànggǔ ér bù wéi lǎo. [Pinyin]

[The Way] precedes the Supreme Ultimate yet is not deemed lofty; it is beneath the six extremities yet is not deemed deep; born before heaven and earth yet is not deemed long-enduring; elder than high antiquity yet is not deemed old.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): tàijí

(Zhuyin): ㄊㄞˋ ㄐㄧˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): taai³ gik⁶
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): thai-khi̍t
Eastern Min (BUC): tái-gĭk
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): thài-ke̍k / thài-kia̍k

(Teochew, Peng'im): tai³ gêg⁸
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹tha-ciq

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: tàijí
  - Zhuyin: ㄊㄞˋ ㄐㄧˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: tàijí
  - Wade–Giles: tʻai⁴-chi²
  - Yale: tài-jí
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tayjyi
  - Palladius: тайцзи (tajczi)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: taai³ gik⁶
  - Yale: taai gihk
  - Cantonese Pinyin: taai³ gik⁹
  - Guangdong Romanization: tai³ gig⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰaːi̯³³ kɪk̚²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: thai-khi̍t
  - Hakka Romanization System: tai kid
  - Hagfa Pinyim: tai⁴ kid⁶
  - Sinological IPA: /tʰai̯⁵⁵ kʰit̚⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: tái-gĭk
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰai²¹³⁻⁵⁵ ^(k-)iʔ⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Penang)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thài-ke̍k
  - Tâi-lô: thài-ki̍k
  - Phofsit Daibuun: tae'kek
  - Sinological IPA (Penang): /tʰai²¹⁻⁴⁴ kek̚⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /tʰai²¹⁻⁴¹ kiɪk̚⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei): /tʰai¹¹⁻⁵³ kiɪk̚⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /tʰai²¹⁻⁵³ kiɪk̚⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /tʰai²¹⁻⁵³ kiɪk̚¹²¹/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thài-kia̍k
  - Tâi-lô: thài-kia̍k
  - Phofsit Daibuun: tae'kiak
  - Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰai⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ kiak̚²⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: tai³ gêg⁸
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thài ke̍k
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰai²¹³⁻⁵⁵ kek̚⁴/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹tha-ciq
  - MiniDict: tha^平 cih
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹tha-jiq
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /tʰa⁵⁵ t͡ɕiɪʔ²¹/

Noun

太極

taiji ("The Absolute"; the condition as it existed before the creation of the world)
tai chi; taiji
耍太極／耍太极 [Cantonese] ― saa² taai³ gik⁶ [Jyutping] ― to practise tai chi

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 太極拳 (“tai chi; taijiquan”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		太極拳
Beijing Mandarin	Beijing	太極拳
Cantonese	Hong Kong	太極拳, 太極
Southern Min	Xiamen	太極拳
	Quanzhou	太極拳
	Zhangzhou	太極拳
	Tainan	太極拳
	Penang (Hokkien)	太極

Derived terms

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (太極):

→ Japanese: 太極(たいきょく) (taikyoku)
→ Korean: 태극(太極) (taegeuk)
→ Vietnamese: thái cực (太極)

Others:

→ English: tai chi, taiji (via Mandarin)
- → Thai: ไทชิ
→ Thai: ไทเก๊ก, ไท้เก๊ก (via Teochew)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
太	極
たい Grade: 2	きょく Grade: 4
on'yomi	kan'on

Alternative spelling
大極

Etymology

Ultimately from Middle Chinese 太極 (MC thajH gik).

First cited to a text from roughly 1060, with the spelling 大極.^[1]

The main spelling in Japanese is 太極. The alternative with 大 instead of 太 appears to be largely obsolete, and is not listed in many dictionaries.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) たいきょく [tàíkyókú] (Heiban – [0])^[3]^[4]^[5]
IPA^(key): [ta̠ikʲo̞kɯ̟]

Noun

太(たい)極(きょく) • (taikyoku)

[circa 1060] (Chinese philosophy) the Absolute: the condition as it existed before the creation of the world
a sword technique in the Yoshioka Kenpō school of kendō
(uncommon) short for 太極拳 (Taikyokuken): Tai Chi

Derived terms

太(たい)極(きょく)拳(けん) (Taikyokuken): Tai Chi Chuan
太(たい)極(きょく)図(ず) (taikyokuzu): an image of the absolute, most commonly the yin-yang symbol
太(たい)極(きょく)図(ず)門(もん) (taikyokuzu mon): a seal or crest using an image of the absolute

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term
太	極

Noun

太極 • (taegeuk) (hangeul 태극)

hanja form^? of 태극 (“tai chi”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
太	極

Noun

太極

chữ Hán form of thái cực (“tai chi”)

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJS-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-4] 4.0 ^4.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[SMK5-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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