Translating

The Chinese characters for 'tai chi' are translated in a variety of ways.
Some people say 'yin/yang', 'supreme ultimate' or 'great pole' but this has just substituted one obscure phrase for another.

Ray Grigg translates tai chi differently: 'dynamic balancing'.

This is a translation that says something. You can understand what dynamic means and what balancing involves. It depicts a process that sounds alive. The words produce a meaningful response. Contrast with 'supreme ultimate'?

Dynamic balancing captures the essence of what is involved in the doing of tai chi. Your muscles are dynamically stretching as you move; opposing groups supporting and resisting. Energetically, you are in the process of constantly re-balancing the body.