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{{short description|Chinese martial art}}
{{About|the Chinese martial art|the philosophical concept|Taiji (philosophy)|other uses of tai chi|Taiji (disambiguation){{!}}Taiji}}
{{Multiple issues|{{Context|date=April 2021}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2021}}}}
{{Infobox Martial art
| logo            = Yin and Yang symbol.svg
| logocaption     = The lower {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[dantian]]}} in tai chi:<br />{{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Taijitu]]}} ([[yin and yang]]) rotate, while<br />the core reverts to stillness ({{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Wuji (philosophy)|wuji]]}}).
| logosize        = 100px
| image           = Yang-single (restoration).jpg
| imagecaption    = [[Yang Chengfu]] ({{circa|1931}}) in ''[[Single Whip]]'' posture of [[Yang-style tai chi]] solo form
| imagesize       =
| name            = Tai chi<br />{{lang|zh-Hant|{{nobold|太極拳}}}}
| aka             = ''See [[#Etymology|etymology]]''
| focus           = [[Taoism]]
| hardness        = Forms: {{horizontal list|Competition|Light contact ([[pushing hands]], no strikes)|Full contact (strikes, kicks, throws, takedowns etc.)}}
| country         = [[China]]
| creator         = [[Chen Wangting]] or [[Zhang Sanfeng]]
| formation       = {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Daoyin]]}}
| famous pract    = {{Unbulleted list|[[Chen Wangting]]|[[Chen Changxing]]|[[Chen Qingping]]|[[Chen Fake]]|[[Yang Luchan]]|[[Yang Chengfu]]|[[Cheng Man-ch'ing]]|[[Wu Quanyou]]|[[Wu Jianquan]]|[[Wu Yuxiang]]|[[Sun Lutang]]}}
| parenthood      =
| ancestor arts   =
| descendant arts =
| olympic         = [[Demonstration sport]]
| website         =
| meaning         =
| martialart      =
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| t = 太極拳
| s = 太极拳
| l = "[[Taiji (philosophy)|Taiji]] Fist"
| p = Tàijíquán
| w = T'ai<sup>4</sup>-chi<sup>2</sup> ch'üan<sup>2</sup>
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|t|ai|4|.|j|i|2|-|quan|2}}
| bpmf = ㄊㄞˋ ㄐㄧˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
| lmz = Tha-ciq jioe
| j = Taai3 gik6 kyun4
| y = Taai-gihk kyùhn
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|t|aai|3|-|g|ik|6|-|k|yun|4}}
| poj = Thài-ke̍k kûn
| tl = Thài-ki̍k kûn
}}
{{Chinese martial arts}}
{{Taoism}}

'''{{tlit|zh|pinyin|Tai chi}}'''<!--Chinese in infobox and further explanation in etymology --> is a [[Chinese martial art]]. Initially developed for combat and self-defense,<ref>{{cite book|last=Lu|first=Shengli|year=2006|title=Combat Techniques of Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua: Principles and Practices of Internal Martial Arts|isbn=1-58394-145-2}}</ref> 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 {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[qi]]}} (vital energy), providing benefits to mental and physical health.<ref>{{Citation |title=Slow and Steady: The Health Benefits of Tai Chi |date=2023-09-05 |url=https://health.clevelandclinic.org/the-health-benefits-of-tai-chi |issue=Health essentials |publisher=Cleveland Clinic}}</ref>

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-style tai chi|Chen Village]] and [[Zhaobao tai chi|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.{{sfn|Wile|1996|pp=5–9}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Shahar|first=Meir|author-link=Meir Shahar|year=2008|title=The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts|isbn=978-0-8248-3349-7}}</ref> 

Most modern styles trace their development to five traditional schools: [[Chen-style tai chi|Chen]], [[Yang-style tai chi|Yang]], [[Wu (Hao)-style tai chi|Wu (Hao)]], [[Wu-style tai chi|Wu]], and [[Sun-style tai chi|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]],{{sfn|Wile|1996}} an approach that was further expanded and institutionalized by the [[Government of China|PRC government]] after 1949.<ref name="Luo2023">{{cite magazine |last=Luo |first=Shiwen |date=Autumn 2023 |title=The 24-Posture Simplified Taijiquan |url=https://www.qi-journal.com/taijiquan/taijiquan-t-ai-chi/3256-the-24-posture-simplified-taijiquan |access-date=5 May 2025 |magazine=Qi: The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness |volume=33 |issue=3 |publisher=Insight Publishers |issn=1056-4004}}</ref> In 2020, tai chi was included in the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tai Chi now on Unesco's intangible heritage list |url=https://www.scmp.com/video/china/3114494/chinese-martial-art-tai-chi-added-unescos-intangible-cultural-heritage-list |access-date=2023-07-17 |website=[[South China Morning Post]]}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The name "tai chi", the most common English spelling, is not a standard [[Romanization of Chinese|romanization]] of the Chinese name for the art ({{lang-zh|s=太极拳|t=太極拳|l=[[Taiji (philosophy)|Taiji]] boxing|links=no}}). The Chinese name was first commonly written in English using the [[Wade–Giles]] system as "{{tlit|zh|t{{wg-apos}}ai chi ch{{wg-apos}}üan}}". But English speakers abbreviated it to "{{tlit|zh|t{{wg-apos}}ai chi}}" and dropped the mark of aspiration. Since the late twentieth century, [[pinyin]] has been officially adopted in China and replaced Wade–Giles as the most popular system for romanizing Chinese. In pinyin, tai chi is spelled {{tlit|zh|pinyin|tàijíquán}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bacher |first=Bob |date=2022 |title=Tai Chi? T'ai Chi? or Taiji? |url=https://dochenstyletaichi.com/tai-chi-chuan-tai-chi-chuan-taijiquan/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628062017/https://dochenstyletaichi.com/tai-chi-chuan-tai-chi-chuan-taijiquan/ |archive-date=28 June 2023 |access-date=28 June 2023 |website=Wang Xi'an Taiji International}}</ref><ref name="fox">{{Cite news |last=Margalit Fox |date=14 January 2017 |title=Zhou Youguang, Who Made Writing Chinese as Simple as ABC, Dies at 111 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/14/world/asia/zhou-youguang-who-made-writing-chinese-as-simple-as-abc-dies-at-111.html |url-status=live |access-date=28 June 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170120191947/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/14/world/asia/zhou-youguang-who-made-writing-chinese-as-simple-as-abc-dies-at-111.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=1 |archive-date=20 January 2017}}</ref> In English, tai chi is sometimes referred to as "[[shadowboxing]]".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Defoort |first=Carine |date=2001 |title=Is There Such a Thing as Chinese Philosophy Arguments of an Implicit Debate |url=https://lirias.kuleuven.be/handle/123456789/538453 |journal=Philosophy East and West |volume=51 |issue=3 |page=404 |doi=10.1353/pew.2001.0039 |s2cid=54844585 |quote=Just as Shadowboxing (taijiquan) is having success in the West|url-access=subscription }}{{pb}}{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2010-06-17 |title=Wudang Martial Arts |newspaper=[[China Daily]] |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/hubei/2010-06/17/content_9985740. |quote=Wudang boxing includes boxing varieties such as Taiji (shadowboxing)}}{{pb}}{{Cite book |last=Bai Shuping (白淑萍) |title=Taiji Quan (Shadow Boxing), Bilingual English-Chinese |date=2009 |publisher=Beijing University Press |isbn=978-7-301-05391-1|translator-last=Luo Bin (罗斌)}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" width="auto" style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
|-
! [[Chinese Characters|Characters]] !! [[Wade–Giles]] !! [[Pinyin]] !! Meaning
|- style="text-align:center;"
| {{linktext|lang=zh|太極}}||t{{wg-apos}}ai chi|| tàijí|| {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Taiji (philosophy)|Taiji]]}}, the cosmological relationship of Yin and Yang
|- style="text-align:center;"
| {{linktext|lang=zh|拳}}|| ch{{wg-apos}}üan || quán || fist, or boxing
|}

The etymology of tai chi's Chinese name is somewhat uncertain because of the lack of a record of spoken usage. Before the mid-nineteenth century, it appears that outsiders generically described the art as {{zhp|p=zhanquan|c=沾拳|tr=touch boxing}}, "Long Boxing"({{lang|zh|長拳}}),{{refn|group=note|"Long" as in "Continuous"; not to be confused with the external martial art also known as Long Fist or [[Changquan]].}} {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[mianquan]]}} {{citation needed span|date=July 2023|1=("Soft/Cotton/Neutralizing Boxing"; {{lang|zh|軟/棉/化拳}})}} or {{zhp|p=shisan shi|c=十三式|tr=the thirteen techniques}}.<ref name="egreenway">{{Cite web |last=Michael P. Garofalo |date=2021 |title=Thirteen Postures of Taijiquan |url=http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/powers13.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416140636/https://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/powers13.htm |archive-date=2023-04-16 |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=Cloud Hands blog}}</ref> In the mid-nineteenth century, the art began to be associated with the philosophy of {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Taiji (philosophy)|taiji]]}} (see [[#Philosophical background|Conceptual background]]).<ref name=":0" /> This association may have originated in the [[Wu (Hao)-style tai chi#TJQC|writings of the founders of Wu (Hao)-style tai chi]], perhaps inspired by a tai chi classic attributed to the semi-mythical [[Wang Zongyue]] that begins with the words "{{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Taiji (philosophy)|Taiji]]}} is born from {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Wuji (philosophy)|Wuji]]}}; it is the mother of [[Yin and Yang]]".{{refn|group=note|Original text: {{lang|zh|太極者. 無極而生. 陰陽之母也.}}<ref>{{Citation |last=Wang Zongyue (attributed) |title=[[:zh:s:太極拳經|Taijiquan Jing]] |script-title=zh:太極拳經 |author-link=Wang Zongyue}}</ref>}} However, as the Wu (Hao) founders had no financial need to promote their art, their contributions to the "tai chi classics" were not distributed widely for many years. The first public association between {{tlit|zh|pinyin|taiji}} and the art was a poem by Imperial Court scholar [[Weng Tonghe]] describing a tai chi performance by [[Yang Luchan]].<ref name="Davis2004-3840">Davis 2004, p. 38-40</ref><ref>Wile 1996, p. 20</ref><ref name="LJQ37">Li Jianqing, p. 37-38</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Yang Zhenji ({{lang|zh|杨振基}}) |title=Yang Chengfu Style Taijiquan |date=1993 |publisher={{lang|zh|广西民族出版社}} (Guangxi Minzu Publishing) |isbn=7-5363-1984-3 |at={{lang|zh|前言}} (Introduction) |script-title=zh:杨澄甫式太极拳}}</ref> It is not clear whether Weng was making a new connection or whether the new name was already in use. Written evidence for the Yang family's adoption of the name {{tlit|zh|pinyin|taiji}} first appeared in a later text, possibly completed in 1875 by Yang Luchan's son, [[Yang Banhou]], or no later than the first decade of the twentieth century by one or more of Yang Banhou's disciples.{{sfn|Davis|2004|loc=3840}}<ref name="YBH1875">Yang Banhou 1875</ref>{{sfn|Wile|1996|pp=57–89, 135–153}}<ref name="LJQ37" /> By the second decade of the twentieth century, [[Yang Chengfu]]'s disciples and [[Sun Lutang]] were using the term {{tlit|zh|pinyin|taijiquan}} in their publications, including in the titles of some of the tai chi classics. It then appeared in a book by a Chen family member, Chen Xin, published after he died in 1929.<ref name="Davis2004-3840" /><ref name="SLT1921">Sun Lutang 1921</ref>

== Philosophical background ==
{{See also|Tai chi philosophy}}
[[File:Zhou_Dunyi_Taijitu_English.png|thumb|Zhou Dunyi's {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Taijitu]]}} diagram which illustrates the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|Taijitu}} cosmology.]]
[[Chinese philosophy]], particularly [[Taoist philosophy|Taoist]] and [[Confucian thought]], forms the conceptual background to tai chi.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine |last=Wile |first=Douglas |date=2007 |title=Taijiquan and Daoism: From Religion to Martial Art and Martial Art to Religion |url=http://blackmoonharbor.com/uploads/1/1/5/3/115363763/taijiquan_and_daoism_.pdf |publisher=Via Media Publishing |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=8–45 |issn=1057-8358 |periodical=Journal of Asian Martial Arts}}</ref> Early tai chi texts include embedded quotations from early Chinese classics like the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[I Ching]]}}, ''[[Great Learning]]'', ''[[Book of Documents]]'', ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'', and '{{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Zhuangzi (book)|Zhuangzi]]}}, as well as from famous Chinese thinkers like [[Zhu Xi]], [[Zhou Dunyi]], and [[Mencius]].<ref name=":1" />

Early tai chi sources are grounded in {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Taiji (philosophy)|Taiji]]}} cosmology. {{tlit|zh|pinyin|Taiji}} cosmology appears in both [[Taoist]] and [[Confucian]] [[Chinese philosophy|philosophy]], where it represents the single source or mother of [[yin and yang]] (represented by the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[taijitu]]}} symbol [[File:Yin yang (fixed width).svg|16px|☯]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cheng Man-ch'ing |title=Cheng-Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan |publisher=North Atlantic Books |year=1993 |isbn=0-938190-45-8 |page=21}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Tai chi also draws on Chinese theories of the body, particularly Taoist {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[neidan]]}} (internal alchemy) teachings on {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[qi]]}} (vital energy) and on the three {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[dantian]]}}. [[Cheng Man-ch'ing]] emphasizes the Taoist background of tai chi and states that it "enables us to reach the stage of undifferentiated pure yang, which is exactly the same as [[Laozi]]'s 'concentrating the qi and developing softness'".<ref name=":1" />

As such, tai chi considers itself an "internal" ({{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[neijia]]}}) martial art focused on developing {{tlit|zh|pinyin|qi}}.<ref name=":1" /> In China, tai chi is categorized under the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Wudangquan|Wudang]]}} group of Chinese martial arts<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sun Lutang |title=Xing Yi Quan Xue |publisher=Unique Publications |year=2000 |isbn=0-86568-185-6 |page=3 |author-link=Sun Lutang}}</ref>—that is, arts applied with internal power.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ranne |first=Nabil |date=2010 |title=Internal power in Taijiquan |url=http://www.ctnd.de/wissenswertes/36/88-kraft-taijiquantqj-2010.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107000736/https://ctnd.de/wissenswertes/36/88-kraft-taijiquantqj-2010.html |archive-date=2018-11-07 |access-date=2011-01-01 |publisher=CTND |language=de}}</ref> Although the term {{tlit|zh|pinyin|Wudang}} suggests these arts originated in the [[Wudang Mountains]], it is used only to distinguish the skills, theories, and applications of {{tlit|zh|pinyin|neijia}} from those of the [[Shaolinquan|Shaolin]] grouping, or {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[waijia]]}} (hard/external styles).<ref name=":1" />

Tai chi also adopts the Taoist ideals of softness overcoming hardness, of {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[wu wei]]}} (effortless action), and of yielding into its martial art technique while also retaining Taoist ideas of spiritual self-cultivation.<ref name=":1" />

Tai chi's path is one of developing naturalness by relaxing, attending inward, and slowing mind, body, and breath.<ref name=":1" /> This allows the practitioner to become less tense, to drop conditioned habits, to let go of thoughts, to allow {{tlit|zh|pinyin|qi}} to flow smoothly, and thus to flow with the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Tao]]}}. It is thus a kind of moving meditation that allows us to let go of the self and experience no-mind ({{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[wuxin]]}}) and spontaneity ({{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[ziran]]}}).<ref name=":1" />

A key aspect of tai chi philosophy is to work with the flow of [[yin and yang|''yin'' (softness) and ''yang'' (hardness)]] elements. When two forces push each other with equal force, neither side moves. Motion cannot occur until one side yields. Therefore, a key principle in tai chi is to avoid using force directly against force (hardness against hardness). Laozi provided the [[archetype]] for this in the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Tao Te Ching]]}} when he wrote, "The soft and the pliable will defeat the hard and strong."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Laozi (attributed) |title=Tao Te Ching |title-link=Tao Te Ching |date=249 |editor-last={{nowrap|Wang Bi}} |editor-link=Wang Bi |chapter=[[:zh:s:道德經 (王弼本)#老子《道德經》下篇|七十六章]] |quote=強大處下柔弱處上 |author-link=Laozi |orig-date=400s BCE}}</ref> Conversely, when in possession of leverage, one may want to use hardness to force the opponent to become soft. Traditionally, tai chi uses both soft and hard. Yin is said to be the mother of Yang, using soft power to create hard power.

Traditional schools also emphasize that one is expected to show {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Chinese martial arts#"Martial morality"|wude]]}} ("martial virtue/heroism"), to protect the defenseless, and to show mercy to one's opponents.{{sfn|Wile|1996}}

In December 2020, the 15th regular session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage included tai chi in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.<ref>{{Citation |last=((Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage)) |title=Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 15.COM 8.b.21 |date=2020 |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/Decisions/15.COM/8.b.21 |access-date=2023-07-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530151143/https://ich.unesco.org/en/Decisions/15.COM/8.b.21 |url-status=live |publisher=UNESCO |archive-date=2023-05-30}}</ref>

== Practice ==
Traditionally, the foundational tai chi practice consists of learning and practicing a specific solo forms or routines ({{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Taolu (martial arts)|taolu]]}}).<ref name=":1" /> This entails learning a routine sequence of movements that emphasize a straight spine, [[abdominal breathing]] and a natural range of motion. Tai chi relies on knowing the appropriate [[I Ching|change]] in response to outside forces, as well as on yielding to and redirecting an attack, rather than meeting it with opposing force.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wong Kiew Kit |title=The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan: A Comprehensive Guide to the Principles |date=1996 |publisher=Element Books Ltd |isbn=1-85230-792-7}}</ref> Physical fitness is also seen as an important step towards effective [[self-defense]].

Tai chi movements were inspired by animals, especially birds and leopards.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Clayre |first=Alasdair |title=The Heart of the Dragon |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin]] |year=1985 |isbn=0-395-35336-X |edition=First American |location=Boston |pages=43 |author-link=Alasdair Clayre}}</ref>

There are also numerous other supporting solo practices such as:<ref name=":1" />
* Sitting meditation: The empty, focus and calm the mind and aid in opening the [[microcosmic orbit]].
* Standing meditation ({{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[zhan zhuang]]}}) to raise the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|yang qi}}
* {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Qigong]]}} to mobilize the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[qi]]}}
* [[Acupressure]] massage to develop awareness of {{tlit|zh|pinyin|qi}} channels
* [[Traditional Chinese medicine]] is taught to advanced students in some traditional schools.<ref name="Wu2006">{{Cite book |last=Wu |first=Kung-tsao |title=Wu Family T'ai Chi Ch'uan |script-title=zh:吳家太極拳 |publisher=Chien-ch'uan T'ai-chi Ch'uan Association |year=2006 |isbn=0-9780499-0-X}}{{page needed|date=May 2013}}</ref>

There is no scientific evidence for the existence of qi,<ref name="Dunning">{{Skeptoid|id=4411|number=411|title=Your Body's Alleged Energy Fields|access-date=3 September 2016}}</ref>
nor any demonstrating the effectiveness of acupressure<ref name=Dent>{{cite journal | vauthors = Dent HE, Dewhurst NG, Mills SY, Willoughby M | title = Continuous PC6 wristband acupressure for relief of nausea and vomiting associated with acute myocardial infarction: a partially randomised, placebo-controlled trial | journal = Complementary Therapies in Medicine | volume = 11 | issue = 2 | pages = 72–7 | date = June 2003 | pmid = 12801491 | doi = 10.1016/s0965-2299(03)00058-x }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Colquhoun D, Novella SP | title = Acupuncture is theatrical placebo | journal = Anesthesia and Analgesia | volume = 116 | issue = 6 | pages = 1360–3 | date = June 2013 | pmid = 23709076 | doi = 10.1213/ANE.0b013e31828f2d5e | s2cid = 207135491 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | title = Evidence-based Non-pharmacological Therapies for Palliative Cancer Care | author = William Chi-Sing Cho | publisher = Springer Science & Business Media | date = 2013 | isbn =  978-94-007-5833-9}}</ref>
or traditional Chinese medicine<ref name="Eigenschink Dearing Dablander et al 2020">{{cite journal |last1=Eigenschink |first1=Michael |last2=Dearing |first2=Lukas |last3=Dablander |first3=Tom E. |last4=Maier |first4=Julian |last5=Sitte |first5=Harald H. |title=A critical examination of the main premises of Traditional Chinese Medicine |journal=Wiener klinische Wochenschrift |date=May 2020 |volume=132 |issue=9–10 |pages=260–273 |doi=10.1007/s00508-020-01625-w |pmid=32198544 |pmc=7253514 }}</ref><ref name="swallow">{{cite journal | vauthors =  | title = Hard to swallow | journal = Nature | volume = 448 | issue = 7150 | pages = 105–6 | date = July 2007 | pmid = 17625521 | doi = 10.1038/448106a | quote = Constructive approaches to divining the potential usefulness of traditional therapies are to be welcomed. But it seems problematic to apply a brand new technique, largely untested in the clinic, to test the veracity of traditional Chinese medicine, when the field is so fraught with pseudoscience. In the meantime, claims made on behalf of an uncharted body of knowledge should be treated with the customary skepticism that is the bedrock of both science and medicine. | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2007Natur.448S.105. }}</ref>
beyond that of [[placebo]] treatment.

Further training entails learning {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[tuishou]]}} (push hands drills), {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[sanshou]]}} (striking techniques), free sparring, grappling training, and weapons training.<ref name=":1" />

The fundamental training concepts of the art are detailed in a few dozen classical texts originally written in [[classical Chinese]] by tai chi masters, the "[[tai chi classics]]". In these texts, it is noted that the physiological and kinesiological aspects of the body's movements are characterized by the circular motion and rotation of the pelvis, based on the metaphors of the pelvis as the hub and the arms and feet as the spokes of a wheel. Furthermore, the respiration of breath is coordinated with the physical movements in a state of deep relaxation, rather than muscular tension.<ref>{{cite book|last=Zhang|first=Yun|year=2016|title=The Taijiquan Classics|asin=B071DT7NZ7}}</ref>

Tai chi is a complete martial art system with a full range of bare-hand movement sets and weapon forms, such as the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|jian}} (straight sword), {{tlit|zh|pinyin|dao}} (curved sword), and {{tlit|zh|pinyin|qiang}} (spear), which are based on the dynamic relationship between {{tlit|zh|pinyin|yin}} and {{tlit|zh|pinyin|yang}}. While tai chi is typified by its slow movements, many styles (including the three most popular: [[Yang-style tai chi|Yang]], [[Wu-style tai chi|Wu]], and [[Chen-style tai chi|Chen]]) have secondary, faster-paced forms. Some traditional schools teach martial applications of the postures of different forms ([[Taolu (martial arts)|taolu]]).

=== Solo practices ===
{{Further|List of tai chi forms}}

[[File:Taijiquan forms - Chenjiagou.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Painting in {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Chen-style tai chi#Chen Village (Chenjiagou)|Chenjiagou]]}}, illustrating {{tlit|zh|pinyin|taolu}} according to the [[Chen style]] of tai chi]]

{{tlit|zh|pinyin|Taolu}} (solo "forms") are choreographed sets of movements practiced alone or in unison as a group. Tai chi is often characterized by slow movements in Taolu practice, and one of the reasons is to develop body awareness. Accurate, repeated practice of the solo routine is said to retrain posture, encourage circulation throughout students' bodies, maintain flexibility, and familiarize students with the martial sequences implied by the forms. Usually performed standing, solo forms have also been adapted for seated practice.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Quarta |first=Cynthia W. |url=https://www.healingtaichi.com/ |title=Tai Chi in a Chair |date=2001 |publisher=Fair Winds Press |isbn=1-931412-60-X |edition=first |access-date=2018-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820172557/https://www.healingtaichi.com/ |archive-date=2018-08-20 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Weapon practice ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2021}}
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| header            = ''Taijijian''
| width             = 175
| image1            = Two Jian.JPG
| caption1          = A pair of {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[jian]]}} with their [[scabbard]]s
| image2            = 10th all china games Jian pair 406 cropped.jpg
| caption2          = {{tlit|zh|pinyin|Wushu jian}} pair event at the [[Wushu (sport)|10th All China games]]
}}

Tai chi practices involving weapons also exist. Weapons training and [[fencing]] applications often employ:
* the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[jian]]}}, a straight double-edged sword, practiced as {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[taijijian]]}};
* the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[dao (saber)|dao]]}}, a heavier curved saber, sometimes called a broadsword;
* the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[tessen|tieshan]]}}, a folding fan, also called {{tlit|zh|pinyin|shan}} and practiced as {{tlit|zh|pinyin|taijishan}};
* the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Gun (staff)|gun]]}}, a {{convert|2|m|ft|sp=us|frac=8|adj=on}} long wooden staff and practiced as {{tlit|zh|pinyin|taijigun}};
* the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Qiang (spear)|qiang]]}}, a {{convert|2|m|ft|sp=us|frac=8|adj=on}} [[spear]] or a {{convert|4|m|ft|sp=us|adj=mid|-long}} [[lance]].

More exotic weapons include:
* the large {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Dao (Chinese sword)|dadao]]}} and {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[podao]]}} sabres;
* the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Ji (halberd)|ji]]}}, or halberd;
* the [[Stick-fighting|cane]];
* the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Rope dart|sheng biao]]}}, or rope dart;
* the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[three sectional staff|sanjiegun]]}}, or three sectional staff;
* the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Wind and fire wheels|feng huo lun]]}}, or wind-and-fire wheels;
* the [[lasso]];
* the [[whip]], [[chain whip]] and steel whip.
{{clear right}}

== History ==
[[File:Chen Wanting.jpg|thumb|A statue of [[Chen Wangting]], an early pioneer of tai chi]]

=== Early development ===
Tai chi's formative influences came from practices undertaken in [[Taoist]] and [[Buddhist]] monasteries, such as [[Wudang Mountains|Wudang]], [[Shaolin Monastery|Shaolin]], and The Thousand Year Temple in [[Henan]].<ref name=":2">Wile, Douglas. 2016. ‘''Fighting Words: Four New Document Finds Reignite Old Debates in Taijiquan Historiography''’, Martial Arts Studies 4, 17–35.</ref> The early development of tai chi proper is connected with Henan's Thousand Year Temple and a nexus of nearby villages: Chen Village, Tang Village, Wangbao Village, and Zhaobao Town. These villages were closely connected, shared an interest in the martial arts and many went to study at Thousand Year Temple (which was a syncretic temple with elements from the [[three teachings]]).<ref name=":2" /> {{clarify-span|New|reason=New from over 300 years ago???|date=November 2023}} documents from these villages, mostly dating to the 17th century, are some of the earliest sources for the practice of tai chi.<ref name=":2" />

Some traditionalists claim that tai chi is a purely Chinese art that comes from ancient [[Taoism]] and [[Confucianism]].<ref name=":1" /> These schools believe that tai chi theory and practice were formulated by Taoist monk [[Zhang Sanfeng]] in the 12th century. A research project conducted by the China Sports Commission determined as much, and Wu Tunan also examined Zhang Sanfeng’s contribution to Tai Chi in his book “A Study of Tai Chi”.{{cn|date=April 2025}} These stories are often filled with legendary and [[hagiographical]] content and lack historical support.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

In March 2007, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles recognized Chenjiagou in Wen County, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province as the birthplace of Chinese Tai Chi. In August 2007, after further detailed investigation and verification of various opinions in society, the national martial arts department recognized Chenjiagou in Wen County as the "birthplace of Chinese martial arts Tai Chi."{{cn|date=April 2025}}

Modern historians point out that the earliest reference indicating a connection between [[Zhang Sanfeng]] and martial arts is actually a 17th-century piece called ''Epitaph for Wang Zhengnan'' (1669), composed by [[Huang Zongxi]] (1610–1695).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Aside from this single source, the other claims of connections between tai chi and Zhang Sanfeng appeared no earlier than the 19th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Henning |first=Stanley |year=1994 |title=Ignorance, Legend and Taijiquan |url=http://www.nardis.com/~twchan/henning.html |url-status=dead |journal=Journal of the Chen Style Taijiquan Research Association of Hawaii |volume=2 |issue=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101075956/http://www.nardis.com/~twchan/henning.html |archive-date=2010-01-01 |access-date=2009-11-23}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> According to Douglas Wile, "there is no record of a Zhang Sanfeng in the [[Song Dynasty]] (960–1279), and there is no mention in the [[Ming]] (1368–1644) histories or hagiographies of Zhang Sanfeng of any connection between the immortal and the martial arts."<ref name=":1" />

Another common theory for the origin of tai chi is that it was created by [[Chen Wangting]] (1580–1660) while living in Chen Village ({{lang|zh|陳家溝}}), Henan.<ref name="MarkChen2004">{{Cite book |last=Chen |first=Mark |title=Old frame Chen family Taijiquan |publisher=North Atlantic Books (Distributed to the book trade by Publishers Group West) |year=2004 |isbn=1-55643-488-X |location=Berkeley, California}}</ref> The other four contemporary traditional tai chi styles (Yang, Sun, Wu and Wu/Hao) trace their teachings back to Chen village in the early 1800s.{{sfn|Wile|1996}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wile |first=Douglas |title=T'ai-chi Touchstones: Yang Family Secret Transmissions |publisher=Sweet Ch'i Press |year=1983 |isbn=0-912059-01-X}}</ref>

[[Yang Luchan]] (1799–1872), the founder of the popular [[Yang-style tai chi|Yang style]], trained with the Chen family for 18 years before he started to teach in [[Beijing]], which strongly suggests that his work was heavily influenced by [[Chen-style tai chi|the Chen family art]]. Martial arts historian Xu Zhen claimed that the tai chi of Chen Village was influenced by the {{tlit|zh|pinyin|Taizu changquan}} style practiced at nearby [[Shaolin Monastery]], while [[Tang Hao]] thought it was derived from a treatise by [[Ming dynasty]] general [[Qi Jiguang]], {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[Jixiao Xinshu]]}} ("New Treatise on Military Efficiency"), which discussed several martial arts styles including {{tlit|zh|pinyin|Taizu changquan}}.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Jarek |last=Szymanski |date=1999 |title=Origins and Development of Taijiquan |url=http://www.chinafrominside.com/ma/taiji/TJQorigins.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617015457/http://www.chinafrominside.com/ma/taiji/TJQorigins.html |archive-date=2016-06-17 |access-date=2016-08-20 |website=Chinafrominside.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Jarek |last=Szymanski |date=2000 |title=Taijiquan – Brief Analysis of Chen Family Boxing Manuals |url=http://www.chinafrominside.com/ma/taiji/chenboxingmanuals.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115172616/http://www.chinafrominside.com/ma/taiji/chenboxingmanuals.html |archive-date=2016-11-15 |access-date=2016-08-20 |website=Chinafrominside.com}}</ref>

=== Standardization ===
[[File:Taoist Tai Chi demo Push.jpg|thumb|Taoist practitioners practising]]
Under the Nationalist government, the Central Guo Shu Institute ({{lang|zh-Hant|中央國術館}}) in Chongqing under the direction of [[Chen Panling]] ({{zhi|[[:zh:陳泮嶺|陳泮嶺]]}}) in 1936 created a unified form combining elements of Chen, Yang, Sun and Wu forms. This was called Guo Shu Taiji ({{lang|zh-Hant|國術太極}}). After the retreat of the Nationalists to Taiwan in 1949, Chen Pan-ling continued to propagate the form where it is now called 99 Taiji. This frame formed the structure of [[Wang Shujin|Wang Shu-jin]]'s taiji form.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Robert |title=Chinese Boxing Masters and Methods |publisher=Blue Snake Books |year=1990 |isbn=1-55643-085-X |pages=68-72}}</ref>

In 1956, the government-sponsored Chinese Sports Committee (CSC) brought together a group of tai chi masters to create a shortened tai chi form that could help improve the health of the general public, because the long traditional forms were considered too difficult for most people to learn. The result was the [[24-form tai chi|24-posture simplified form]], developed from the traditional Yang-style long form.<ref name="Luo2023" />

Another 1950s form is the "97 movements combined tai chi form", which blends Yang, Wu, Sun, Chen, and Fu styles.

In 1976, they developed a slightly longer demonstration form that would not require the traditional forms' memory, balance, and coordination. This became the "Combined 48 Forms" that were created by three '{{tlit|zh|pinyin|wushu}} coaches, headed by Men Hui Feng. The combined forms simplified and combined classical forms from the original Chen, Yang, Wu, and Sun styles. Other competitive forms were designed to be completed within a six-minute time limit.

In the late 1980s, CSC standardized more competition forms for the four major styles as well as combined forms. These five sets of forms were created by different teams, and later approved by a committee of {{tlit|zh|pinyin|wushu}} coaches in China. These forms were named after their style: the "Chen-style national competition form" is the "56 Form". Also standardized was the "[[42-form tai chi|42 Form]]", also known as the "Competition Form", which combined movements from multiple styles.

In the 11th [[Asian Games]] of 1990, {{tlit|zh|pinyin|wushu}} was included as an item for competition for the first time with the 42 Form representing tai chi. The [[International Wushu Federation]] (IWUF) applied for {{tlit|zh|pinyin|wushu}} to be part of the [[Olympic Games]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 17, 2006 |title=Wushu likely to be a "specially-set" sport at Olympics |url=http://en.olympic.cn/08beijing/bocog/2006-10-17/945504.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311001132/http://en.olympic.cn/08beijing/bocog/2006-10-17/945504.html |archive-date=2007-03-11 |access-date=2007-04-13 |publisher=[[Chinese Olympic Committee]]}}</ref>
Tai chi was added to the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists]] in December of 2020, nominated by China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taijiquan |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/taijiquan-00424 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218080430/https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/taijiquan-00424 |archive-date=2020-12-18 |access-date=2021-03-06 |publisher=UNESCO Culture Sector}}</ref>

== Styles ==
{{See also|Chinese martial arts#History|l1=History of Chinese martial arts}}
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2021}}

=== Chinese origin ===
[[File:Eddie Wu Grasp Bird's Tail 1998.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Wu-style tai chi|Wu-style]] master [[Eddie Wu]] demonstrating the form "Grasp the bird's tail" at a tournament in [[Toronto, Ontario]], Canada]]

The five major styles of tai chi are named for the Chinese families who originated them:

* [[Chen style]] ({{lang|zh|陳氏}}) of [[Chen Wangting]] (1580–1660)
* [[Yang-style tai chi|Yang style]] ({{lang|zh|楊氏}}) of [[Yang Luchan]] (1799–1872)
* [[Wu (Hao)-style tai chi|Wu/Hao style]] ({{lang|zh|武郝氏}}) of [[Wu Yuxiang]] (1812–1880) and [[Hao Weizhen]] (1842–1920)
* [[Wu-style tai chi|Wu style]] ({{lang|zh|吳氏}}) of [[Wu Quanyou]] (1834–1902) and his son [[Wu Jianquan]] (1870–1942)
* [[Sun-style tai chi|Sun style]] ({{lang|zh|孫氏}}) of [[Sun Lutang]] (1861–1932)

The most popular is Yang, followed by Wu, Chen, Sun, and Wu/Hao.<ref name=":1" /> The styles share underlying theory, but their training differs.

Dozens of new styles, hybrid styles, and offshoots followed, although the family schools are accepted as standard by the international community. Other important styles are [[Zhaobao tai chi]], a close cousin of Chen style, which is recognized by Western practitioners; Fu style, created by [[Fu Zhensong]], which evolved from Chen, Sun and Yang styles, and incorporates movements from {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[baguazhang]]}};{{Citation needed|date=August 2014}} and [[Cheng Man-ch'ing]] style, which simplifies Yang style.

Around the world in the 20th and 21st centuries, some Chinese emigrants who had learned tai chi in China continued to practice it together in their new communities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-07-30 |title=This Arcadia tai chi master teaches people how to stretch, fight with ‘kinetic’ style |url=https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2017/07/30/this-arcadia-tai-chi-master-teaches-people-how-to-stretch-fight-with-kinetic-style/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=Pasadena Star News |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== North America ===
==== United States ====
{{ill|Choy Hok Pang|wd=Q134710950|s=1|v=sup}}, a disciple of [[Yang Chengfu]], was the first known proponent of tai chi to openly teach in the United States, beginning in 1939. His son and student {{ill|Choy Kam Man|wd=Q134710952|s=1|v=sup}} emigrated to San Francisco from Hong Kong in 1949 to teach tai chi in [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]]. Choy Kam Man taught until he died in 1994.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gilman |first=Michael |title=108 Insights into Tai Chi Chuan: a String of Pearls |location=Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts |publisher=YMAA Publication Center |year=1998 |isbn=1-88696-958-2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Ting: The Caldron, Chinese Art and Identity in San Francisco |publisher=Glide Urban Center |year=1970 |isbn=0-912078-14-6 |editor-last=Nick Harvey |location=San Francisco}}</ref>

[[Sophia Delza]], a professional dancer and student of [[Ma Yueliang]], performed the first known public demonstration of tai chi in the United States at the New York City [[Museum of Modern Art]] in 1954. She wrote the first English language book on tai chi, ''T'ai-chi Ch'üan: Body and Mind in Harmony'', in 1961. She taught regular classes at [[Carnegie Hall]], the [[Actors Studio]], and the [[United Nations]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunning |first=Jennifer |title=Sophia Delza Glassgold, 92, Dancer and Teacher |date=July 7, 1996 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/07/nyregion/sophia-delza-glassgold-92-dancer-and-teacher.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=February 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320190321/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/07/nyregion/sophia-delza-glassgold-92-dancer-and-teacher.html |url-status=live |archive-date=March 20, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Inventory of the Sophia Delza Papers, 1908–1996 |date=February 2006 |url=https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/dandelza.pdf |access-date=2014-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616225549/http://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/dandelza.pdf |url-status=live |publisher=Jerome Robbins Dance Division, [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]] |archive-date=2016-06-16}}</ref>

[[Cheng Man-ch'ing]] opened his school Shr Jung tai chi after he moved to New York from Taiwan in 1964. Unlike the older generation of practitioners, Cheng was cultured and educated in American ways,{{clarify|date=July 2017}} and thus was able to transcribe Yang's dictation into a written manuscript that became the de facto manual for Yang style. Cheng felt Yang's traditional 108-movement form was unnecessarily long and repetitive, which makes it difficult to learn.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}} He thus created a shortened 37-movement version that he taught in his schools. Cheng's form became the dominant form in the eastern United States until other teachers immigrated in larger numbers in the 1990s. He taught until his death in 1975.<ref name="Lowenthal1991">{{Cite book |last=Wolfe Lowenthal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ayJG1GU5Y4C |title=There Are No Secrets: Professor Cheng Man Ch'ing and His Tai Chi Chuan |publisher=North Atlantic Books |year=1991 |isbn=1-55643-112-0}}</ref>

==== Canada ====
[[Moy Lin-shin]] arrived in [[Toronto, Canada]], from China in 1970, where he started teaching tai chi and related internal arts.<ref name="Scrivener">{{Cite news |last=Scrivener |first=Leslie |date=September 9, 2007 |title=Marshalling praise for art of Tai Chi |work=The Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/article/254609 |access-date=2008-02-11}}</ref>

=== Europe ===
==== Italy ====
M°[[Chang Dsu Yao]] (1918–1992) was the first Chinese Master to introduce Traditional Chinese martial arts to Italy. After a military career and teaching martial arts in Taiwan, he moved to Italy in 1975. There, he began teaching Tai Chi Chuan, that he had learned from [[Yang Chengfu]], and Shaolin Kung Fu. His teachings attracted numerous students, among them {{ill|Roberto Fassi|it}}, with whom he co-authored several martial arts publications.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Chang Dsu Yao |first2=Roberto |last2=Fassi |title=Tai Chi Chuan |language=it |publisher=De Vecchi Editore |year=1989 |isbn=88-412-8026-3 |location=Milan}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Chang Dsu Yao |first2=Roberto |last2=Fassi |title=L'enciclopedia del Kung Fu Shaolin |language=it |volume=1 |publisher=Edizioni Mediterranee |year=1986 |isbn=88-272-0016-9 |location=Rome}}</ref>

==== United Kingdom ====
Norwegian [[Pytt Geddes]] was the first European to teach tai chi in Britain, holding classes at [[The Place (London)|The Place]] in London in the early 1960s. She had first encountered tai chi in Shanghai in 1948, and studied with Choy Hok Pang and his son Choy Kam Man (who both also taught in the United States) while living in Hong Kong in the late 1950s.<ref name="geddes-telegraph">{{Cite news |date=21 March 2006 |title=Pytt Geddes (obituary) |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/03/21/db2101.xml |url-status=dead |access-date=16 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204075831/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2006%2F03%2F21%2Fdb2101.xml |archive-date=4 December 2007}}</ref>

== Yin and yang ==

More traditional practitioners hold that the two aspects of health and martial arts make up the art's {{tlit|zh|pinyin|yin}} and {{tlit|zh|pinyin|yang}}. The "family" schools present their teachings in a martial art context, whatever the intention of their students.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Woolidge |first=Doug |date=June 1997 |title=T'AI CHI |journal=The International Magazine of T'ai Chi Ch'uan |publisher=Wayfarer Publications |volume=21 |issue=3 |issn=0730-1049}}</ref>

== Health ==
{{See also|World Tai Chi and Qigong Day}}
[[File:Tai Chi1.jpg|thumb|Outdoor practice in [[Beijing]]'s [[Temple of Heaven]]]]

Tai chi's health training concentrates on relieving stress on the body and mind. In the 21st century, tai chi classes that purely emphasize health are popular in hospitals, clinics,  community centers and senior centers. Tai chi's low-stress training method for seniors has become better known.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yip |first=Y. L. |date=Autumn 2002 |title=Pivot&nbsp;– Qi |journal=The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness |publisher=Insight Graphics Publishers |volume=12 |issue=3 |issn=1056-4004}}</ref>

[[File:Lady does Tai Chi.jpg|thumb|A Chinese woman performs Yang-style tai chi.]]

Clinical studies exploring tai chi's effect on specific diseases and health conditions exist, though there are insufficient studies with consistent approaches to generate a comprehensive conclusion.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Yang GY, Wang LQ, Ren J, Zhang Y, Li ML, Zhu YT, Luo J, Cheng YJ, Li WY, Wayne PM, Liu JP |date=2015 |title=Evidence base of clinical studies on Tai Chi: a bibliometric analysis |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=e0120655 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1020655Y |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0120655 |pmc=4361587 |pmid=25775125 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Tai chi has been promoted for treating various ailments, and is supported by the [[Parkinson's Foundation]] and [[Diabetes Australia]], among others. However, [[Evidence-based medicine|medical evidence]] of effectiveness is lacking.<ref name="Lee2011">{{Cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=M. S. |last2=Ernst |first2=E. |year=2011 |title=Systematic reviews of t'ai chi: An overview |journal=[[British Journal of Sports Medicine]] |volume=46 |issue=10 |pages=713–8 |doi=10.1136/bjsm.2010.080622 |pmid=21586406 |s2cid=206878632}}</ref><ref name="aus17">{{Cite web |last=Baggoley C |year=2015 |title=Review of the Australian Government Rebate on Natural Therapies for Private Health Insurance |url=http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/0E9129B3574FCA53CA257BF0001ACD11/$File/Natural%20Therapies%20Overview%20Report%20Final%20with%20copyright%2011%20March.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222094721/http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/0E9129B3574FCA53CA257BF0001ACD11/$File/Natural%20Therapies%20Overview%20Report%20Final%20with%20copyright%2011%20March.pdf |archive-date=22 December 2015 |access-date=12 December 2015 |publisher=Australian Government – Department of Health}}
* {{lay source|template=cite web|author=Scott Gavura|date=November 19, 2015|title=Australian review finds no benefit to 17 natural therapies|url=https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/australian-review-finds-no-benefit-to-17-natural-therapies |website=Science-Based Medicine}}</ref> A 2017 systematic review found that it decreased falls in older people.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lomas-Vega |first1=R |last2=Obrero-Gaitán |first2=E |last3=Molina-Ortega |first3=FJ |last4=Del-Pino-Casado |first4=R |date=September 2017 |title=Tai Chi for Risk of Falls. A Meta-analysis. |journal=[[Journal of the American Geriatrics Society]] |volume=65 |issue=9 |pages=2037–2043 |doi=10.1111/jgs.15008 |pmid=28736853 |s2cid=21131912}}</ref>

A 2011 comprehensive overview of [[systematic review]]s of tai chi recommended tai chi to older people for its physical and psychological benefits. It found positive results for [[fall prevention]] and overall [[mental health]]. No conclusive evidence showed benefit for most of the conditions researched, including [[Parkinson's disease]], [[diabetes]], [[cancer]] and [[arthritis]].<ref name="Lee2011" />

A 2015 systematic review found that tai chi could be performed by those with chronic medical conditions such as [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]], [[heart failure]], and [[osteoarthritis]] without negative effects, and found favorable effects on functional exercise capacity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Yi-Wen |last2=Hunt |first2=Michael A. |last3=Campbell |first3=Kristin L. |last4=Peill |first4=Kortni |last5=Reid |first5=W. Darlene |date=2015-09-17 |title=The effect of Tai Chi on four chronic conditions – cancer, osteoarthritis, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analyses |url=http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2015/09/04/bjsports-2014-094388 |url-status=live |journal=British Journal of Sports Medicine |language=en |volume=50 |issue=7 |pages=bjsports-2014-094388 |doi=10.1136/bjsports-2014-094388 |issn=1473-0480 |pmid=26383108 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016043910/http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2015/09/04/bjsports-2014-094388 |archive-date=2015-10-16 |access-date=2015-10-09 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

In 2015 the [[Department of Health (Australia)|Australian Government's Department of Health]] published the results of a review of alternative therapies that sought to identify any that were suitable for coverage by [[health insurance]]. Tai chi was one of 17 therapies evaluated. The study concluded that low-quality evidence suggests that tai chi may have some beneficial health effects when compared to control in a limited number of populations for a limited number of outcomes.<ref name="aus17" />

A 2020 review of 13 studies found that tai chi had positive effect on the quality of life and depressive symptoms of older adults with chronic conditions who lived in community settings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Choo |first=YT |date=2020 |title=Effectiveness of tai chi on quality of life, depressive symptoms and physical function among community-dwelling older adults with chronic disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis |journal=International Journal of Nursing Studies |publisher=Elsevier |volume=111 |page=103737 |doi=10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103737 |pmid=32891966 |s2cid=221523402}}</ref>

In 2022, the U.S.A agency the [[National Institutes of Health]] published an analysis of various health claims, studies and findings. They concluded the evidence was of low quality, but that it appears to have a small positive effect on quality of life.<ref>{{Cite web |last=((National Center for Complementary and Intrgrative Health)) |date=March 2022 |editor2-last=Lanay Mudd |editor3-last=David Shurtleff |title=Tai Chi: What You Need To Know |url=https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tai-chi-what-you-need-to-know |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012201905/https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tai-chi-what-you-need-to-know |archive-date=2022-10-12 |access-date=2022-10-12 |publisher=National Institutes of Health |editor1=Inna Belfer}}</ref>

=== Sport and self-defense ===
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2021}}
In its martial aspect, tai chi emphasizes defense over attack, and replies to hard forces with soft forces and vice versa.

Practitioners test their skills against students from other schools and martial arts styles in {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[tuishou]]}} ("pushing hands") and {{tlit|zh|pinyin|[[sanshou]]}} competition.

== See also ==
{{Portal|China|Martial arts}}
* [[Qigong]]
* [[Self-healing]]
* [[Wushu (sport)|Wushu]]
* [[Yangsheng (Daoism)]]

== Other names ==
*Tai Ji Quan
*Taijiquan 
*Taichi
*Tʻai chi
*Tʻai chi chʻüan

== References ==
===Notes===
{{reflist|group=note}}

===Citations===
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{Cite book |last=Davis |first=Barbara |title=Taijiquan Classics: An Annotated Translation |publisher=North Atlantic Books |year=2004 |isbn=1-55643-431-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wile |first=Douglas |title=Lost T'a-Chi Classics from the Late Ch'ing Dynasty |date=1996 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=0-7914-2653-X}}

== Further reading ==

=== Books ===
* {{cite book |last=Agar-Hutton |first=Robert |year=2018 |title=The Metamorphosis of Tai Chi: Created to kill; evolved to heal; teaching peace |publisher=Ex-L-Ence Publishing |isbn=978-1-9164944-1-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bluestein |first=Jonathan |title=Research of Martial Arts |publisher=CreateSpace |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-4991-2251-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bond |first=Joey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3YPZ8qbRLdQC |title=See Man Jump See God Fall: Tai Chi Vs. Technology |publisher=International Promotions Promotion Pub |year=1999 |isbn=1-57901-001-6 |author-link=Joey Bond}}
* {{Cite book |last=Choy |first=Kam Man |title=Tai Chi Chuan |publisher=Memorial Edition 1994 |year=1985 |location=San Francisco, California}}{{ISBN?}}
* {{Cite book |last=Eberhard |first=Wolfram |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofchin00wolf |title=A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols: Hidden Symbols in Chinese Life and Thought |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |location=London |year=1986 |isbn=0-415-00228-1 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Frantzis |first=Bruce |title=The Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi: Combat and Energy Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Hsing-I |publisher=Blue Snake Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-58394-190-4}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Gaffney |first1=David |title=The Essence of Taijiquan |last2=Sim |first2=Davidine Siaw-Voon |publisher=CreateSpace |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-5006-0923-8}}
*{{cite book |last=Lǐ |first=Jiànqīng |year=2006 |script-title=zh:永年太极拳志 |trans-title=Yongnian Taijiquan Gazetteer |publisher=People's Sports Publishing House |isbn=7-5009-3044-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Sūn ({{lang|zh|孫}}) |first=Lùtáng ({{lang|zh|祿堂}}) |year=1921 |title=Tàijí quán xué |script-title=zh:太極拳學 |trans-title=A Study of Taiji Boxing |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/312654562/The-Taiji-Manual-of-Sun-Lutang}}
**{{cite book |last=Sūn ({{lang|zh|孫}}) |first=Lùtáng ({{lang|zh|祿堂}}) |lang=zh-Hant  |title=Tàijí quán xué |script-title=zh:太極拳學 |trans-title=A Study of Taiji Boxing |year=2018 |publisher=Dazhan Publishing House |isbn=978-986-346-201-9}} 
**{{cite book |lang=zh-Hans |year=2016 |script-title=zh:孙禄堂武学集注 太极拳学 |trans-title=Sun Lutang Martial Theory Collection: A Study of Taiji Boxing |location=Beijing |publisher=Beijing Science and Technology Press |isbn=978-7-5304-8625-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wile |first=Douglas |title=Tai Chi Touchstones: Yang Family Secret Transmissions |publisher=Sweet Ch'i Press |year=1983 |isbn=0-912059-01-X}}
*Yang, Banhou ({{lang|zh|楊班侯}}, 1875*), {{lang|zh|太極法說}} (''Explaining Taiji Principles''), available online in Chinese and English translation at [https://www.scribd.com/document/343601299/Explaining-Taiji-Principles Scribd] and also included in Chinese and English translation in Wile, Douglas (1996) (*Scholars estimate the publication date to be between 1875 and 1910, and believe the author(s) to be Yang Banhou and/or his disciples)
* {{Cite book |last1=Yang |first1=Yang |title=Taijiquan: The Art of Nurturing, The Science of Power |last2=Grubisich |first2=Scott A. |publisher=Zhenwu Publication |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-9740990-1-9 |edition=2nd}}

=== Magazines ===
* ''Taijiquan Journal'' {{ISSN|1528-6290}}
* ''T'ai Chi Magazine'' {{ISSN|0730-1049}} Wayfarer Publications. Bimonthly.

{{Qigong}}
{{Wushu (sport)}}
{{Martial arts}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tai chi}}
[[Category:Tai chi| ]]
[[Category:Taoism]]
[[Category:Chinese martial arts]]
[[Category:Chinese swordsmanship]]
[[Category:Meditation]]
[[Category:Neijia]]
[[Category:Qigong]]