Baduanjin vs Qigong
Qigong is an umbrella term for hundreds of Chinese movement and breathing practices. Baduanjin is one specific routine within that category, with a fixed sequence of eight movements. Every Baduanjin session is qigong, but almost no qigong is Baduanjin.
- Relationship
- Baduanjin is one type of qigong
- Number of qigong practices
- Hundreds
- Baduanjin sequence
- Fixed — eight movements, one order
- Other qigong routines
- Five Animal Frolics, Six Healing Sounds, Eight-Section Brocade, and many more
- Why it matters
- "Teaching qigong" tells you very little; a named routine tells you exactly what you will learn
The category and the thing inside it
Qi (气) is usually translated as energy or breath; gong (功) means skill or work — the same character used in gongfu. Qigong therefore means something like "work done with breath and attention". It covers a very wide range: standing postures, seated meditation, slow movement sets, self-massage, and breathing exercises with no movement at all.
Baduanjin is one named routine in that range. So are the Five Animal Frolics (五禽戏, wu qin xi), the Six Healing Sounds (六字诀, liu zi jue), the Twelve-Section Brocade (十二段锦), and the Yi Jin Jing. Each has its own fixed sequence and its own history.
Why English sources are inconsistent
Because "qigong" is broader and more widely recognised in English, it gets used as a label for anything in the category. A video of Baduanjin will often be titled simply "Qigong". A class advertised as "Qigong for seniors" may teach the Five Animal Frolics, or a breathing set, or something the teacher assembled.
If you are looking for a specific routine, search for the routine's name rather than the category. "Baduanjin" or "Ba Duan Jin" will find the specific eight-movement set; "qigong" will not.
What to check before joining a class
- Ask which named routine the class teaches, not whether it teaches qigong
- Ask whether it is the standing or the seated form — they are quite different in demand
- Ask how long the teacher has practised that specific routine, not qigong in general
- If you cannot stand for long, confirm directly that the class is seated or that a seated version will be accommodated
Is one better than the other?
Not in any meaningful sense. They are different routines with different emphases, and the better one is the one you will actually do. Baduanjin's advantage for a beginner is that it is short, fixed, and easy to check yourself against — you know within a fortnight whether you have learnt it.
Doing this seated
Qigong as a category includes many practices that can be done seated, and Baduanjin is one of them. This site teaches the seated version of Baduanjin, and the official seated routine (the Twelve-Section Brocade) in a chair adaptation as well.
Common questions
Is Baduanjin considered qigong?
Yes. It falls within the qigong category and is taught as part of it, including in the official Chinese Health Qigong programmes.
Which is easier for a beginner?
Baduanjin, mainly because it is fixed and short. With qigong generally, what you get depends entirely on which routine and which teacher.
Does qigong involve beliefs I have to accept?
No. It is practised for movement, breathing and attention. The traditional vocabulary of qi and meridians is part of its history and many teachers use it, but nothing requires you to hold a particular belief about what is happening.
Can I do qigong instead of Baduanjin?
Of course, and many people do. If you want a fixed, short, self-checkable routine, Baduanjin is one of the most practical options in the category.
Written by LiHe — practitioner, teacher and consultant in qigong and traditional health practice. Review status and sources are shown below where available.
This is general movement education, not medical advice. It does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition. Read the full disclaimer.
The Chinese names are the traditional names of the movements. They are not medical claims, and this site does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition.
- Last reviewed
- Movement data
- Standing form follows the Chinese Fitness Qigong Association standard routine. The chair versions are this pack's own adaptation, written for a seated reader.. Version v0.5.