What is the difference between Qigong and Taijiquan

by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

This is an interesting question. Although Qigong and Taijiquan practitioners may find this question redundant, in my frequent teaching tours in Europe, America and Australia, many people asked me the same question, or a similar question, “Is Qigong the same as Taijiquan?” This shows that although the terms “Qigong” and “Taijiquan” are widely known nowadays, what they really are, is seldom understood. Moreover, the question can be answered at different levels.

Answering this question at the basic level, which will be adequate for the purpose of most people, Qigong is an art of energy whereas Taijqiquan is an internal martial art. Therefore, Qigong is not the same as Taijiquan. This is a philosophical answer, which may not be of practical help to many people. They only know the dictionary meaning of “an art of energy” and of “an internal martial art”, but do not really know what they are. Hence, they still will not know what the difference between Qigong and Taijiquan is.

An easier answer would be as follows. Qigong is practiced for health, whereas Taijiquan is practiced for combat. But this answer is not exactly right because Qigong can also be practice for combat, and Taijiquan can also be practice for health.

A practical answer is to observe people practicing Qigong and people practicing Taijiquan. You will then know they are different. When asked to say their difference in words, you may say that their forms are different. Generally, but not always, a person remains at about the same spot when practicing Qigong, but moves about widely when practicing Taijiquan.

But if we answer the question at a deeper level, both the philosophical and the practical answers given above, which are adequate for ordinary purposes, are actually not correct – though they are also not wrong! Taijiquan is also an art of energy, and many forms of Qigong are also internal martial arts.

You may have a clearer idea if you look at the answer this way. There are many types of Qigong, and one of these is Taijiquan. However, this may mislead many people to think that Taijiquan is a part, or sub-set, of Qigong. This is not so because there are many aspects in Taijiquan, and one of these aspects is Qigong. In other words, there other aspects of Taijiquan that are not Qigong, and also there are other types of Qigong that are not Taijiquan.

Asking the difference between Qigong and Taijiquan, is like asking the difference between poetry and music. We may say that poetry deals with words, whereas music deals with sounds. While this may show the difference between poetry and music, it is not actually correct – though it is also not wrong. Poetry also deals with sounds and music also deals with words. Moreover, an aspect of poetry is music, but this does not mean music is a sub-set of poetry, because, on the other hand, an aspect of music is also poetry.

So, instead of intellectualizing on the difference between poetry and music or between Qigong and Taijiquan, practice them to enjoy their benefits.