tai chi

noun

ˈtī-ˈchē  ˈtī-ˈjē 

variants or less commonly t'ai chi or tai chi chuan or t'ai chi ch'uan

ˈtī-ˈchē-chü-ˈän,

ˈtī-ˈjē- 

, often Tai Chi

: an ancient Chinese discipline of meditative movements practiced as a system of exercises

Examples of tai chi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Weil argues that following his anti-inflammatory food pyramid and taking up practices such as meditation, yoga, and tai chi can help prevent and treat these diseases of chronic inflammation. —Jason Liebowitz, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025

The group plans to partner with yoga teachers, Pilates instructors, tai chi guides, fitness coaches and other Wauwatosa practitioners, according to the release. —Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025

Ease into the weekend with tai chi and qigong classes. —Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025

Stair-climbing was most common in adults younger than 65, while exercise, including tai chi, that strengthened lower body muscles was more common in older adults. —Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Beijing) tàijíquán, from tàijí the Absolute in Chinese cosmology + quán fist, boxing

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tai chi

noun

ˈtī-ˈjē 

-ˈchē

often capitalized T&C

: an ancient Chinese system of movements performed for meditation or exercise

Medical Definition

tai chi

noun

variants also t'ai chi

ˈtī-ˈjē, -ˈchē 

or tai chi chuan or t'ai chi ch'uan

-chü-ˈän

often capitalized T&C

: an ancient Chinese discipline involving a continuous series of controlled usually slow movements designed to improve physical and mental well-being