The character Tai or T'ai means great.
Ji or Chi means summit or ridge beam.
Quan or Ch'uan indicates the fist, that is to say combat,
action.

Tai ji quan can therefore be translated as "combat
of the great principle or supreme action".

Analysis of the meaning of the characters that make up Tai ji quan
and analysis of its historical origins place this discipline among
the Chinese martial arts (wushu).

Tai ji quan is a self-defence technique based on
principles of Chinese philosophy such as the alternation of Yin-Yang, the
five elements, the eight trigrams, and the circulation
of energy.

Tai ji quan can be considered a harmonious complex
of Qi gong forms. The cultural tradition in which it is deeply rooted
is the Taoist one, from which it has certainly drawn mental attitudes such as the pursuit of
calmness, balance, the flowing of inner and
outer sensations, and relaxation. It is worth emphasising how the pursuit of
relaxation (sung) in the fluidity of movement is a
truly distinctive trait of Tai ji compared with all other
external martial styles.

The great Tai ji masters of the past presumably possessed
physical and mental powers of wide application. In some Taoist schools
Tai ji quan has always been regarded as a practice
of cultivation, as well as a sophisticated martial art.

Ermanno Cozzi
Maestro di Tai ji quan