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太极拳 (tài jí quán) — Tai Chi Chuan (a traditional Chinese martial art and exercise system)

Definition

A traditional Chinese martial art practiced with slow, flowing movements for both health and self-defense. Widely used today as a daily exercise, especially by older people.

noun
Tai Chi Chuan (a traditional Chinese martial art and exercise system)
Measure word · 套

Examples

  • 太极拳。
    Wǒ měi tiān zǎo shàng dōu liàn tài jí quán.
    I practice Tai Chi every morning.
  • 太极拳，。
    tài jí quán De dòng zuò hěn màn, dàn hěn yǒu lì liàng.
    The movements of Tai Chi are very slow but very powerful.
  • 太极拳。
    Hěn duō lǎo nián rén xǐ huan dǎ tài jí quán lái duàn liàn shēn tǐ.
    Many elderly people like to do Tai Chi to exercise their bodies.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

太极the Great Ultimate
太tàigreat极jíextreme
偏正Modifier + head
拳quánfist

太极 names the Great Ultimate, and 拳 means fist or boxing; together it labels this martial art.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

太 is a modified form of 大, with an extra dot added to show 'too big'.

Open 太 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree, wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí极jí
Same sound today

极 pairs 木 (tree, wood) with 及, which provides the sound.

Open 极 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
龹
龹龹拳quán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拳 pairs 手 (hand) with 龹 for sound. The hand part shows that the meaning is a form of hand, such as a fist.

Open 拳 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 5

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