# 太極
## Chinese

* 太極

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): tàijí
    (Zhuyin): ㄊㄞˋ ㄐㄧˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): taai$^3$ gik$^6$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): thai-khi̍t
* Eastern Min (BUC): tái-gĭk
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): thài-kia̍k / thài-ke̍k
    (Teochew, Peng'im): tai$^3$ gêg$^8$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^1$tha-ciq
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: tàijí
*** Zhuyin: ㄊㄞˋ ㄐㄧˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: tàijí
*** Wade–Giles: tʻai$^4$-chi$^2$
*** Yale: tài-jí
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tayjyi
*** Palladius: тайцзи (tajczi)
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰaɪ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: taai$^3$ gik$^6$
*** Yale: taai gihk
*** Cantonese Pinyin: taai$^3$ gik$^9$
*** Guangdong Romanization: tai$^3$ gig$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰaːi̯³³ kɪk̚²/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: thai-khi̍t
*** Hakka Romanization System: tai kid
*** Hagfa Pinyim: tai$^4$ kid$^6$
*** Sinological IPA: /tʰai̯⁵⁵ kʰit̚⁵/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: tái-gĭk
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰai²¹³⁻⁵⁵ $^{(k-)}$iʔ⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thài-kia̍k
*** Tâi-lô: thài-kia̍k
*** Phofsit Daibuun: tae'kiak
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰai⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ kiak̚²⁴/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thài-ke̍k
*** Tâi-lô: thài-ki̍k
*** Phofsit Daibuun: tae'kek
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /tʰai²¹⁻⁵³ kiɪk̚¹²¹/
*** IPA (Xiamen): /tʰai²¹⁻⁵³ kiɪk̚⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /tʰai²¹⁻⁴¹ kiɪk̚⁴/
*** IPA (Taipei): /tʰai¹¹⁻⁵³ kiɪk̚⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: tai$^3$ gêg$^8$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thài ke̍k
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰai²¹³⁻⁵⁵ kek̚⁴/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^1$tha-ciq
*** MiniDict: tha$^平$ cih
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^1$tha-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

#### Derived terms

* 太極劍／太极剑
* 太極圖／太极图 (tàijítú)
* 太極拳／太极拳 (tàijíquán)
* 太極旗／太极旗 (Tàijíqí)
* 太極門／太极门
* 打太極／打太极 (dǎ tàijí)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 太極(たいきょく) (taikyoku)
* → Korean: 태극(太極) (taegeuk)
* → Vietnamese: thái cực (太極)
* → English: tai chi, taiji (via Mandarin), taegeuk (via Korean)
** → 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.
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.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) たいきょく [tàíkyókú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [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 (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 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
* 1 2 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”).