Taiji (Chinese philosophy)
| Taiji | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chinese name | |
| Long characters | 太極 |
| Abbreviation | 太极 |
| Pinyin | Tàijí |
| Jyutping | Taai 3 gik 6 |
| Japanese name | |
| Kanji | 太極 |
| Kana | た い ･ き ょ く |
| Hepburn | Tai ･ kyoku |
| Korean name | |
| Hangeul | 태극 |
| Hanja | 太極 |
| RR | Taegeuk |
| MR | T'aegŭk |
| Vietnam. designation | |
| Quốc Ngữ | Thái cực |
| Hán tự | 太極 |
Tàijí or Tai Chi ( Chinese 太極 / 太极 , Pinyin Tàijí , W.-G. T'ai-chi - "The very great extreme, the great opposites, analogously: origin of the cosmos") describes the highest principle of the cosmos. The term can be found in Daoism and also in Confucianism .
Different definition approaches
A general definition is difficult because the term is used very differently and is fluid. The sign 太 ( tài ) means “very”, “highest”, “extremely”, “the greatest”, “the highest”, the maximum. The sign 極 / 极 ( jí ) originally means the "ridge beam" of a gable roof, later has the meaning of "highest position", "very highest point", "the top", "the pole", "the / the / the extreme ( e) "get. From this the meaning of the main point, the axis , the center developed. In the classical Chinese writings, the North Star - as the fulcrum of the sky, as it were - is referred to as Tàijí.
Daoism
In the Daoist tradition, the Tàijí primarily denotes the unity of the complementary polarities, i.e., viewed holistically, the opposites of the Yīn and Yáng which complement one another . The sign Yīn ( 陰 / 阴 , obsolete 侌 ) originally referred to the side of a hill lying in the shadow. The sign Yáng ( 陽 / 阳 , outdated 昜 ), on the other hand, originally referred to the bright sunny side facing the sun. In the etymological structure of the character, the radical 阝, i.e. 阜 , of the two characters Yīn 陰 / 阴 and Yáng 陽 / 阳 has the meaning of a hill. Yīn and Yáng unite at the summit ( 極 / 极 ), just at the Tàijí. The Tàijí thus expresses that all things in the world of appearances are ultimately in harmony and that apparent opposites (e.g. light and shadow) also arise from the same primordial reason. According to Taoist doctrine, Tàijí arose from Wújí , non-being, emptiness. From the Tàijí, on the other hand, the entire world of appearances emerges ( Wànwù , 萬物 / 万物 - "literally ten thousand things, correctly: countless things"). Tàijí is therefore the force that creates the two poles. In chapter 42 of Dàodéjīng by Lǎo Zǐ it says: “ Dào creates one, one creates two, two creates three, three creates all things.” 【道 生 一。 一生 二。 二 生 三。 三生 萬物】.
Confucianism and General
In Confucianism, the concept of Tàijí is mainly incorporated by the neo-Confucian philosopher Zhū Xī (1130–1200). The core of his teaching is that all things have Lǐ ( 理 - "in the philosophical context, for example, reason, reason, principle, logic"). The Lǐ is immutable, immaterial, and inherent in things. If you look at the universe as a whole, its length is precisely the Tàijí, i.e. the basic ordering principle of the universe. “The Tàijí is simply the highest of all, beyond which nothing can be.” ( Zhū Xī )
The term is often used to refer to the symbolic representation of the Tàijí, which is actually called Tàijítú ( 太極 圖 / 太极 图 , ☯). This well-known graphic representation of the Tàijí, then often referred to as the monad , probably goes back to Lái Zhī-Dé ( 來 知 德 / 来 知 德 ; 1525–1604), also as Lái Qū-Táng ( 來 瞿 唐 / 来 瞿 唐 ) known, back.
The basic idea of thinking of all things as if there was a higher harmony in the background has profoundly influenced the entire East Asian culture. Becoming one with this harmony of Tàijí not only dominates spirituality , but also affects living and town planning (using the Fēngshuǐ doctrine ), horticulture , social order, medicine and many other areas up to the present day.
Others
In the West, the term is sometimes incorrectly used as a short form for the martial art Tàijíquán ( 太極拳 / 太极拳 ). This practice system is also based on this becoming one with the harmony of the Tàijí. As a martial art, it makes use of this knowledge. As a form exercise , it is the movement- meditative approach with the possibility of achieving this harmony.
See also
literature
- Ellen M. Chen: The Tao Te Ching. A New Translation and Commentary. Paragon House, New York NY 1989, ISBN 1-55778-083-8 ( A new ERA book ).
- Yu Youhua, Lin Qian, Ministry of Culture of the PR China (Eds.): Traditional Chinese Medicine in Chinese Culture . CAV Production Co., Beijing 2008.
