Tai chi · beginner · about 6 minutes
Tai chi 24-form: history, all 24 postures and meaning 二十四式太极拳
Go to a park in any Chinese city at dawn and you will probably see it: a group moving slowly, together, through the same 24 postures. It is the most practised tai chi routine in the world — and it was designed on purpose, by a committee, in 1956.
| Other names | Simplified tai chi, Beijing form, 24-step |
|---|---|
| Created | 1956, Chinese Sports Committee; led by Li Tianji |
| Based on | Yang-style tai chi |
| Length | 24 postures, about 6 minutes |
Beijing, 1956. Five masters around a table. The task: take a long family form and make something anyone can learn.
They cut the repeats, kept the hardest moves out, and left the soul: slow, continuous, rooted.
Seventy years later, millions start their day with the same first posture: arms rising, as if lifted by water.
Illustrative scene, not a historical record.
History
- Before 1956Tai chi was taught in family lines — Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun and others — with long forms that could take years to learn. Yang style, spread in the early 20th century, had become the most popular. [1][2]
- 1956The Chinese Sports Committee brings together Chu Guiting, Cai Longyun, Fu Zhongwen and Zhang Yu, led by Li Tianji, coach of the national wushu team. Their goal is public health: a short routine anyone can practise. [3]
- The designThey keep 24 distinct movements of the Yang form, drop most repetitions and the most difficult moves, and arrange them to go from simple to harder and to work both sides of the body. [3]
- AfterPromoted by the state, the “Beijing form” spreads to schools, parks and then the world. Later official forms — the 48 and the 42-posture competition form — build on it and mix in other styles. [3][4]
Historical images
Yang-single (restoration).jpg — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
The sequence, step by step
A summary in our own words to help you follow and remember the form. It does not replace a teacher, and details differ between associations. [3]
- Step 1/9
1 · Commencing
Feet apart, arms float up to shoulder height and sink as the knees bend. Everything that follows starts from this calm.
- Step 2/9
2–4 · Wild horse, white crane, brush knee
Parting the wild horse’s mane (left and right), white crane spreads its wings, brush knee and step forward (left and right). You learn to shift weight into the bow stance.
- Step 3/9
5–6 · Pipa and repulse monkey
Playing the pipa (lute), then stepping back while pushing — the first backward walking of the form.
- Step 4/9
7–8 · Grasp the sparrow’s tail
Left, then right: ward off, roll back, press, push — the four basic energies of tai chi push-hands in one sequence.
- Step 5/9
9–11 · Single whip and cloud hands
Single whip, cloud hands stepping sideways, single whip again. The waist turns and the hands follow, like clouds drifting.
- Step 6/9
12–15 · Pat the horse and the kicks
High pat on horse, right heel kick, strike the ears with both fists, turn and left heel kick. The balance test of the form.
- Step 7/9
16–17 · Snake creeps down, golden rooster
Left and right: sink very low over one leg, then rise to stand on the other. The deepest and the highest point of the routine, back to back.
- Step 8/9
18–21 · Shuttles, needle, fan, punch
Fair lady works the shuttles (right and left), needle at the sea bottom, fan through the back, turn — deflect, parry and punch.
- Step 9/9
22–24 · Closing
Apparent close-up, cross hands, closing. The arms come down and you stand as you began — but not quite the same.
Key stances
Meaning
The 24-form was made for health, and that is its first meaning: slow, continuous movement, soft joints, deep breathing, balance on one leg and the other. Research on tai chi for balance and fall prevention in older adults often uses simplified Yang forms like this one.
But the names still carry the martial art: parry and punch, strike the ears, grasp the sparrow’s tail. Teachers who show the applications remind students that tai chi is a quan — a fist — as well as a meditation in motion.
Variations between styles
| Style / body | What changes |
|---|---|
| Standard 24 (1956) | The official order above; small differences in hand shapes and step widths between teachers. |
| 48 and 42 forms | Later official routines; the 42 is the competition form and mixes Yang with Chen, Wu and Sun elements. |
| Traditional Yang long form | The source: around 85–108 movements depending on how they are counted, taking 20 minutes or more. |
| Seated / adapted | Many health programmes teach the arm patterns seated or with reduced steps for people with limited mobility. |
Principles and applications
Ward off, roll back, press and push are the base of push-hands (tuishou): you learn to meet force, absorb it and redirect it rather than block it. Deflect-parry-punch and strike-the-ears are direct striking ideas; brush knee is a low deflection followed by a palm.
For most practitioners, the daily “application” is balance: the heel kicks and golden rooster train standing on one leg slowly and under control.
Common mistakes
- Knees locked or pushed past the toes in the bow stance.
- Bobbing up and down between postures instead of staying level.
- Holding the breath or the shoulders.
- Rushing: the form should take about six minutes, not three.
Sources
Content written by Wabukan from the sources below (checked on 2026-10-30). External links are references only.
- Wikipedia — Tai chi — en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia — Yang-style tai chi — en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia — 24-form tai chi — en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia — 42-form tai chi — en.wikipedia.org
Cite / use this content
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Wabukan (2026). Tai chi 24-form: history, all 24 postures and meaning. https://wabukan.com/formas/taichi-24 (accessed 2026-10-30)
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Updated: 2026-10-30