Back تاي تشي Arabic Tai Chi Chuan AST Tay çi çuan Azerbaijani تای چی AZB Тайдзи цюан Bulgarian থাই চি Bengali/Bangla ཐའེ་ཅི་ཆོན། Tibetan Taichichuan Breton Tai-txi-txuan Catalan Tchaj-ťi čchüan Czech
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 The lower dantian in tai chi: Taijitu (yin and yang) rotate, while the core reverts to stillness (wuji). | |
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| Also known as | See etymology |
|---|---|
| Focus | Taoism |
| Hardness | Forms:
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| Country of origin | China |
| Date of formation | Daoyin |
| Creator | Chen Wangting or Zhang Sanfeng |
| Famous practitioners | |
| Olympic sport | Demonstration sport |
| Tai chi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 太極拳 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 太极拳 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Taiji Fist" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Part of a series on |
| Chinese martial arts (Wushu) |
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| Part of a series on |
| Taoism |
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Tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense,[1] for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners perform a series of deliberate, flowing motions while focusing on deep, slow breaths. Often referred to as "meditation in motion", tai chi aims to concentrate and balance the body's purported qi (vital energy), providing benefits to mental and physical health.[2]
Many forms of tai chi are practiced, both traditional and modern. While the precise origins are not known, the earliest documented practice is from Chen Village and Zhabao Village in Henan on the North China Plain, a region where centuries of rebellions, invasions, and adverse economic and social conditions nurtured the development of a wide range of martial arts, including those of the Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song at the western edge of the plain.[3][4]
Most modern styles trace their development to five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu (Hao), Wu, and Sun. In the early 20th century Yang Chengfu, Wu Jianquan, Sun Lutang, and others promoted and standardized the art for its health benefits in programs supported by the Nationalist government,[5] an approach that was further expanded and institutionalized by the PRC government after 1949.[6] In 2020, tai chi was included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.[7]
- ^ Lu, Shengli (2006). Combat Techniques of Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua: Principles and Practices of Internal Martial Arts. ISBN 1-58394-145-2.
- ^ Slow and Steady: The Health Benefits of Tai Chi, Cleveland Clinic, 2023-09-05
- ^ Wile 1996, pp. 5–9.
- ^ Shahar, Meir (2008). The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts. ISBN 978-0-8248-3349-7.
- ^ Wile 1996.
- ^ Luo, Shiwen (Autumn 2023). "The 24-Posture Simplified Taijiquan". Qi: The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness. Vol. 33, no. 3. Insight Publishers. ISSN 1056-4004. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ "Tai Chi now on Unesco's intangible heritage list". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2023-07-17.