What's in a name

Although usually just referred to as Tai Chi, the full name for the slow graceful movement, is Tai Chi Chuan. You'll also see it called Tai Ji Quan*. As with all translations, you can never get an exact match in English.  Generally it's agreed that Tai Chi Chuan means  Grand Ultimate Fist. Or Grand Ultimate Boxing.  I prefer the later as it indicates more of a system, then just a single technique. In fact, the forms that we would now recognise as Tai Chi Chuan used to be called Chinese Shadow Boxing or Soft Boxing, among others.

The Fist or Boxing part is very straightforward as it refers to a physical activity. The roots of Tai Chi Chuan are in a practical fighting system and martial art. In modern day practise this element has been overshadowed by the health and well-being benefits.

The Grand Ultimate part is far more complex. And indeed, entire libraries are written on the subject. Suffice to say, it is to do with the Yin/Yang concept and trying to bring duality and opposites back into one wholeness. A state called Wuji.

Its worth noting that the Chi in Tai Chi Chuan, isn't the same chinese character as the Chi used in energy. To be pedantic the phrase should be written as T'ai-chi; and in this context is about the extremes or polarity and the Yin & Yang.

*There are two official ways to translate Chinese into English. Wade-Giles and Pinyin. It's to do with how the sound is best expressed but the meanings are the same. My instructor used the older Wade-Giles notation, so I generally stick to that. I'm in no way a chinese scholar but, as I was taught, the physical skills need no names or language.