taijiquan means tai chi. It carries an Arena rating of 1242, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, taijiquan ranks #3,766 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,432 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #7,271 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #7,776 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
Why “taijiquan” is a great word
A Chinese martial art and system of physical exercise characterized by slow, controlled movements, practiced for health, meditation, and self-defense. From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 太極拳 (tàijíquán), from 太極 (tàijí, "supreme ultimate", a Daoist philosophical concept) + 拳 (quán, "fist, boxing"). Unlike "kung fu," a broad term for often external and overtly combative martial arts, or "qigong," a practice focused primarily on cultivating vital energy, taijiquan is an integrated internal art where meditative practice is inseparable from martial principle. It is the arc of a hand parting a cloud, the precise, weighted shift from one root to another on dewy grass, and the coiling unwinding of silk from a spool—a moving diagram of balance where yielding is the source of unyielding force, a physical philosophy for harmonizing the conflict within one's own body.
Etymology
From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 太極拳／太极拳 (tàijíquán).
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- taijutsu 64% match — Japanese martial arts techniques that rely on a set of body movements without weapons. vs taijiquan →
- tao 58% match — The art or skill of doing something in harmony with the essential nature of the thing. vs taijiquan →
- shintaido 57% match — A form of physical and mental exercise developed from several Japanese martial arts vs taijiquan →
- taiji 56% match — The absolute; the condition as it existed before the creation of the world. vs taijiquan →
- taekwondo 56% match — A martial art from Korea, known for its elaborate kicking techniques. The sparring aspect is a recognised Olympic sport. vs taijiquan →
- wushu 55% match — Any Chinese martial art. vs taijiquan →
- daoyin 53% match — Cognitive body and mind unity exercises practiced as a form of Taoist neigong, predating and the ancestral foundation to the art of qigong vs taijiquan →
- baguazhang 52% match — A Chinese martial art involving a wide variety of techniques and weapons, with distinctively evasive circular footwork. vs taijiquan →