tai chi

noun

1. a Chinese martial art and form of stylized, meditative exercise, characterized by methodically slow circular and stretching movements and positions of bodily balance.

noun

1. a Chinese system of callisthenics characterized by coordinated and rhythmic movementsOften shortened to: t’ai chi (ˈtaɪ ˈdʒiː)

n.1736, the “supreme ultimate” in Taoism and Neo-Confucianism, from Chinese tai “extreme” + ji “limit.” The form of martial arts training (said to have been developed by a priest in the Sung dynasty, 960-1279) is first attested 1962, in full, tai chi ch’uan, with Chinese quan “fist.”