Why do we see so many different ways of spelling Tai Chi?
Translating the original characters
When investigating Tai Chi & Qi Gong you will find a number of different spellings for these methods. This can sometimes confuse people and can seem that there are different or unique arts with similar names. In fact, the reason for the difference is very simple, it is a difference in how the Chinese Characters are translated into English Letters. There are 2 main methods for converting Chinese into English characters are:
Wade Giles - T’ai Chi Ch’uan & Ch’i Kung or Tai Chi Chuan & Chi Kung
Pinyin - Taijiquan & Qigong or Taiji Quan and Qi Gong
All are describing the same techniques and systems however, they are simply different interpretations of the Chinese Characters.