太极
Taiji
Chinese Philosophy · conceptThe 'Supreme Ultimate' or 'Great Pivot' in Chinese philosophy — the ultimate source and ground of all reality from which yin and yang arise. First articulated in the Yijing (I Ching) and systematically developed by Song dynasty Neo-Confucian philosopher Zhou Dunyi (周敦颐), Taiji is the undifferentiated unity that precedes the division into yin and yang, the 'ten thousand things,' and the entire phenomenal world. Zhou Dunyi's Taijitu (太极图 — 'Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate') visually represents this cosmology: from Nonpolar (Wuji) comes Taiji, from Taiji comes yin-yang, and from their interaction comes all existence.
无极而太极。太极动而生阳，动极而静，静而生阴。
— Zhou Dunyi, Taijitu Shuo (Explanation of the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate)
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What Are the Key Facts About Taiji?
- Tradition: Chinese Philosophy
- Chinese: 太极
- Category: Concept
- Definition: The 'Supreme Ultimate' or 'Great Pivot' in Chinese philosophy — the ultimate source and ground of all reality from which yin and yang arise.
What Concepts Are Related to Taiji?
Yin Yang 阴阳Frequently Asked Questions About Taiji
What is taiji?
Taiji (太极, 'Great Ultimate') is the supreme generative principle in Chinese cosmology — the unity before the differentiation of yin and yang, source of the ten thousand things.
What does 'taiji gives birth to liangyi' mean?
The Taijitu saying: from the Great Ultimate arise the two modes (yin and yang), which generate the four images and the eight trigrams — a cosmogonic sequence.
How is taiji shown in the symbol?
The taijitu (yin-yang circle) depicts taiji as the swirling unity of complementary opposites, each containing the seed of the other.
What is taiji in practice?
In taiji quan (tai chi) the term names a movement art that embodies the balance and flow of yin-yang as health and martial practice.