Taiji (the supreme ultimate) has three different meanings. First, it refers to

the origin of the world. The ancient Chinese saw it either as qi (vital force)

or yuanqi (primordial vital force) that permeates the chaotic world, or as a

universal principle, i.e. Dao or li (理), or as wu (无). Second, it is used as a term

of divination, referring to the initial state before divinatory numbers, the odd

number one (written as —) and the even number two (written as – –), are

applied or before the yarrow stems are divided. Divination is conducted on the

basis of taiji. Third, it stands for the highest point or boundary of space.