Editing Wuxing (Chinese philosophy) (section)

===Martial arts===
Wuxing being an influential philosophical concept, there are several Chinese martial arts and a few other east Asian styles that incorporate five phases concepts into their systems.

[[Tai chi]] trains and focuses on five basic qualities as part of its overarching strategy.<ref name="Wu 2006">{{cite journal|title=Legitimation Discourse and the Theory of the Five Elements in Imperial China|last=Chen|first=Yuan|journal=Journal of Song-Yuan Studies|year=2014|volume=44|issue=1|pages=325–364|doi=10.1353/sys.2014.0000|s2cid=147099574|url=https://www.academia.edu/23276848}}</ref>

The Five Steps ({{zhi|c=五步|p=wǔ bù}}) are:
*''Lǎo Jìnbù'' (老進步) – always step forward
*''Juébù Tuìbù'' (絕不退步) – never step backward
*''Yòupàn'' (右盼) – watch right
*''Zuǒgù'' (左顧) – beware left
*''Zhōngdìng'' (中定) – center pole, point, pivot neutral posture, maintain balance, maintain equilibrium. 
These five steps are not mutable states in tai chi.

''[[xingyiquan|'''Xingyi Quan''']]'' uses the five elements metaphorically to represent ideally five different energies, but energy work is subtle, so normally one starts out learning five basic techniques with complementary footwork to teach the basic concepts behind the energies. Ideally one can use any technique with any kind of energy, but there are different levels of skill one must go through.

In Xingyi Quan, realization of the five energies has three basic levels: Obvious power, subtle power, mysterious power.

{| class="wikitable"
! Movement
! Fist
! [[Chinese language|Chinese]]
! [[Pinyin]]
!Direction
! Shape
!Subtle Action
!Energy
!Feeling
|-
| '''Metal'''
| Splitting
| {{lang|zh|劈}}
| Pī
|Downward
| Fist or palm chopping forward, hand pulling down and back, spine rolling downward
|dragging down
|condensing power
|Dropping (jerking down)
|-
| '''Water'''
| Drilling
| {{lang|zh|鑽 / 钻}}
| Zuān
|Upward
| Fist drilling upward like water under pressure, hand down and back
|spiraling
|relaxing power
|Shocking (jerking up and down simultaneously)
|-
| '''Wood'''
| Crushing
| {{lang|zh|崩}}
| Bēng
|Forward
| Fist shooting straight forward
|wedging
|linear power
|Penetrating (expanding through)
|-
| '''Fire'''
| Pounding
| {{lang|zh|炮}}
| Pào
|Backward
| Fist being propelled forward by body flinging open
|flinging
|reciprocal power
|Launching (uprooting and countering)
|-
| '''Earth'''
| Crossing
| {{lang|zh|橫 / 横}}
| Héng
|Horizontal
| Fist crossing horizontally and turning over to plough through
|turning
|torque power
|Colliding (turning into a strike, falling onto a strike)
|}

The '''Five Animals''' in Shaolin martial arts are an extension of the [[Animal styles in Chinese martial arts|Wuxing]] theory as their qualities are the embodiment and representation of the energetic qualities of the five phases in the animal kingdom. They are the,

* Tiger - Fire (fierce and powerful)
* Monkey - Metal (hunched over)
* Snake - Water (flexible)
* Crane - Wind (evasive)
* Mantis - Earth (steady and rooted)

''[[De (Chinese)#Wuxing heqidao|Wuxing Heqidao]]'', (Gogyo [[Aikido]] 五行合气道) is a life art with roots in Confucian, Taoists and Buddhist theory. It centers around applied peace and health studies rather than defence or physical action. It emphasizes the unification of mind, body and environment using the physiological theory of yin, yang and five-element [[Traditional Chinese medicine]]. Its movements, exercises, and teachings cultivate, direct, and harmonise the ''[[qi]]''.<ref name="Wu 2006" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jain |first=Dr Rajesh |date=2020-02-13 |title=What are the benefits of meditation? Meditation can offer |url=https://www.diabetesasia.org/magazine/what-are-the-benefits-of-meditation/?amp=1 |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=Diabetes Asia Health Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>