Taijiquan is practised as a continuous, slow sequence of linked postures, performed solo, emphasizing relaxed, whole-body movement, an upright but not rigid posture, and coordination of movement with breath, in contrast to the fast, externally forceful style associated with many other Chinese martial arts. Traditional taijiquan theory frames this slowness and softness as strategic rather than merely gentle, teaching a practitioner to yield to and redirect an opponent's force rather than meet it directly, a principle codified in texts such as those collected in the so-called tai chi classics.
Beyond its martial application, taijiquan is also practised, and today far more commonly practised, as a health and meditative discipline, understood within its traditional framework as cultivating and smoothing the flow of qi through the body, and as training coordination, balance and calm attention. Partner practice, particularly the paired exercise called push hands, traditionally develops sensitivity to an opponent's force and balance, and remains part of fuller traditional instruction even where solo form practice for health is the more common entry point. Standardized short forms, developed in China from the 1950s for public health promotion, retain the movement vocabulary and much of the health framing of the traditional styles while generally omitting the martial application and lengthy traditional forms taught within family and lineage schools.