One of the core requirements of Taiji Quan, is adherence to the Taiji Classics. The Taiji Classics are a series of poems, songs, and writings, commonly held to be the core teachings of Taiji Quan. They are essentially the bible of the art and are the standard to which one’s Taiji skills are held, and by which one’s progress is evaluated. For a Taiji Quan practitioner’s art to be genuinely Taiji Quan, the practitioner must strictly adhere to the principles set fourth by the classics, reinforced through many years of rigorous training.

The few original classics have been attributed to Zhang Sanfeng, Wang Zhongyue, Wu Yuhsiang, and several unknown authors. According to Stuart Alve Olson, the classics attributed to Zhang Sanfeng were most likely authored by Yang Luchan in conjunction with Wu Ho-ching. Chinese historian Chao Hsi-min holds a theory that Wu Yuhsiang authored much of the classics, borrowing his theories from the Eight Trigram Sect located in Yung-Nien (Southern Hebei/ northern Henan province,) where Wu himself resided.

Crediting such writings to a legendary mythical figure would bring the document more credibility than it would normally have, had it been written by a martial artist of the time. This may help account for certain Chinese documents and Qi Gong forms being attributed to various priests and generals of legend.

Regardless, these writings have been passed down as the core of the art, with later masters like Wu Yuhsiang, Yang Chenfu, Chen Xin, Wu Kung-tsao, and Sun Lutang, openly contributing to the body of texts.