Resource Centre
Tai Chi Exercises PDF: Printable Reference Sheets & Charts
Printable Taiji material, sorted by the job you actually need it for — a reference sheet for one form, a chart for your first month, a seated adaptation, or qigong. Pick the type first, then the sheet.
Where things stand: every form page on this site already prints as a free A4 booklet today. Purpose-made one- and two-page reference sheets are in preparation; no download is offered for anything that is not finished.
Four kinds of printable, four different jobs
“Tai chi exercises PDF” is not one request. Someone wants the movement list for a form they are learning. Someone else wants a chart to follow for their first month. Someone practises in a chair. Someone is looking for qigong and has ended up on a Taiji page. These are different materials, and a single list of files makes the reader open several before discovering which one they needed.
So this page is sorted by type first. Each block below says what that kind of sheet is for, whether it exists yet, and what to use in the meantime. Nothing here is offered as a download until it is finished.
What a printed sheet can and cannot do
This is the most useful thing we can tell you before you print anything.
It can
- Remind you which movements the form contains and what they are called
- Let you check the order when you lose your place
- Support revision of a set you have already learned
It cannot
- Teach you how a movement is actually performed
- Correct your weight, your substantial/insubstantial split, or your force
- Stand in for a breakdown, a demonstration, or a teacher’s eye
To actually learn a form, work through the three layers on the form page: thesequence with movement notes, the demonstration video, and the practise guide. The sheet comes after, to keep it in your head.
The four categories
Current status of each, stated plainly.
Traditional Form Reference Sheets
“I want the movement names and order for one form, on one or two sheets.”
The whole sequence in order — Chinese name, pinyin and English, grouped as the set is taught. Made for checking what comes next and for revising a form you already know. Kept short on purpose: this is the sheet you keep beside you during practice, not the booklet you read to learn.
Status · In preparation — first sheet is the 24-Form Simplified Tai Chi. Until it is ready, the same movement list is on the form page itself, which prints as a complete A4 study booklet.
Beginner Exercise Charts
“I am new — I want a short chart to follow for the next few weeks.”
A subset rather than the whole form: the handful of movements you can learn in a first month, laid out one per row with a picture, so you can follow it without reading paragraphs. Different job from a reference sheet: the sheet is the full map, the chart is the route for this month.
Status · In development — depends on the reference sheets being settled first, so the two do not repeat each other.
Seated and Adapted Tai Chi
“I need something I can do sitting down, or around an injury.”
Chair-based and adapted versions, for people practising at a desk, recovering, or working around a limitation. This is the one category where we will not borrow from the traditional sequences: an adapted set has to be built as adapted, or the result is a standing form performed badly.
Status · Planned — nothing published yet. We are not going to repackage a standing form and call it seated.
Nothing to link to yet — this one is genuinely not started.
Qigong Printable Sheets
“I want qigong, not taiji.”
Qigong sets live on their own shelf because qigong is a distinct practice tradition, with its own movement sequences and learning resources. Mixing them into a grid of Taiji forms makes both harder to read.
Status · Planned — the sequences themselves are already published and printable, and practice music is available for the main sets. Dedicated qigong sheets are not made yet.
In preparation
The first reference sheet: 24-Form Simplified Tai Chi
Two sheets, planned: a two-page reference with all twenty-four movements plus the opening posture, grouped as the set is taught, with Chinese name, pinyin and English; and aone-page practice chart for daily use. Both A4, both free.
They are not finished, so there is no download link here — we are not going to put a button on the page for a file that does not exist.
What to use right now: the form page prints as a complete A4 booklet with every movement, its Chinese name and its key points. It is longer than the sheet will be — eight pages rather than two — but it is finished, free, and accurate. Open the 24-Form sequenceand use the print button: choose “Save as PDF” as the destination if you want a file.
Which one do you want?
If none of the four categories is obviously yours, this usually settles it.
| If you want to… | Go to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| See every movement of one form, in order | Forms Library | 25 sequences, each a full page that prints as a booklet |
| Learn what to practise in your first month | Tai Chi for Beginners | Order of learning, not a movement list |
| Study on your own without a teacher | Learn by Yourself | A 12-week plan with checkpoints |
| Watch the form before trying it | Videos | Demonstration, which no sheet can replace |
| Practise qigong instead | Qigong Routines | Separate tradition, separate shelf |
| Understand a term on a sheet | Glossary | Definitions, e.g. what a “form” is |
Questions
Is there a free Tai Chi exercises PDF?+
Not as a separate download file yet — the reference sheets are in preparation. What is available now is better in one respect: every form page on this site prints as a clean A4 booklet of its own, free, with no sign-up. Start with the 24-Form Simplified Tai Chi and choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog.
Will a printable sheet teach me the form?+
No, and it is worth being blunt about that. A sheet gives you the names, the count and the order — enough to check what comes next and to revise a set you have already learned. It cannot show you where the weight sits, how fast the transition happens, or whether your shoulder has taken over from your waist. Use the sequence page for the movement notes, the video for the demonstration, and the guide for how to practise it.
What is the difference between a chart and a form reference sheet?+
A reference sheet covers the whole form: every movement, in order, so you can see the complete map. A chart covers a subset — the movements a beginner can reasonably hold in their head during their first month — usually with a picture per movement. The sheet answers "what comes after White Crane Spreads Its Wings"; the chart answers "what should I practise today".
Is qigong the same as Tai Chi?+
No. They share a standing frame and a breathing discipline, but they are different traditions with different material. Qigong sets are organised separately — the sport authority publishes its own recognised list for them, and this site keeps them on a separate shelf rather than mixing them into the Tai Chi forms.
Why are these pages separated by type instead of one big list?+
Because "I want a Tai Chi PDF" covers at least four different jobs: a reference sheet for a whole form, a chart for a beginner, a seated adaptation, and qigong. A single list of files makes the reader open several before finding out which one they wanted. Sorting by type first costs one click and saves three.
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