Simplified 24 (Beijing Form) 二十四式簡化太極拳
The most practised tai chi routine in the world, derived from Yang style. About 6 minutes. The best first form for beginners and the form used in most medical studies.
Standardized / Competition Forms24 stepsChinese Sports Commission, 1956 (Li Tianji et al.)
Watch the whole form 影片
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Practice tips
- Learn one section at a time and repeat it daily before adding the next.
- Face the same wall each time so the directions stay consistent.
- Keep stances higher than you think you need. Depth comes with time.
- Breathe naturally and let the breath follow the movement.
- Film yourself now and then and compare with the videos.
Reading this list
Each line is one posture, in order. Repeated postures keep their own number. Pinyin (romanised Chinese) is on the right, and underlined names link to the movement glossary.
24 postures · 8 sections
☞ Hover over any underlined movement to see an animated example. Click it to open that movement in the glossary, with how-to instructions and how it varies between styles. Source: Wikipedia: 24-form tai chi (standard Chinese movement list); Chinese Sports Commission 1956.
Section 1
- 1.Commencing Form起勢 Qi Shi
- 2.Part the Wild Horse's Mane (left & right, 3 times)左右野馬分鬃 Zuo You Ye Ma Fen Zong
- 3.White Crane Spreads Its Wings白鶴亮翅 Bai He Liang Chi
Section 2
- 4.Brush Knee and Twist Step (3 times)左右摟膝拗步 Lou Xi Ao Bu
- 5.Play the Lute手揮琵琶 Shou Hui Pi Pa
- 6.Repulse Monkey (4 times)左右倒捲肱 Dao Juan Gong
Section 3
- 7.Grasp the Bird's Tail – Left左攬雀尾 Zuo Lan Que Wei
- 8.Grasp the Bird's Tail – Right右攬雀尾 You Lan Que Wei
Section 4
- 9.Single Whip單鞭 Dan Bian
- 10.Cloud Hands (3 times)雲手 Yun Shou
- 11.Single Whip單鞭 Dan Bian
Section 5
- 12.High Pat on Horse高探馬 Gao Tan Ma
- 13.Kick with Right Heel右蹬腳 You Deng Jiao
- 14.Strike Opponent's Ears with Both Fists雙峰貫耳 Shuang Feng Guan Er
- 15.Turn and Kick with Left Heel轉身左蹬腳 Zhuan Shen Zuo Deng Jiao
Section 6
- 16.Snake Creeps Down & Golden Rooster Stands on Left Leg左下勢獨立 Zuo Xia Shi Du Li
- 17.Snake Creeps Down & Golden Rooster Stands on Right Leg右下勢獨立 You Xia Shi Du Li
Section 7
- 18.Fair Lady Works the Shuttles (left & right)左右穿梭 Zuo You Chuan Suo
- 19.Needle at Sea Bottom海底針 Hai Di Zhen
- 20.Fan Through the Back閃通臂 Shan Tong Bi
Section 8
- 21.Turn, Deflect, Parry and Punch轉身搬攔捶 Zhuan Shen Ban Lan Chui
- 22.Apparent Close Up如封似閉 Ru Feng Si Bi
- 23.Cross Hands十字手 Shi Zi Shou
- 24.Closing Form收勢 Shou Shi
Names and numbering vary between teachers and books. Learn from a qualified teacher and move within a comfortable range.