{"id":12978,"date":"2025-10-31T12:15:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T16:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=12978"},"modified":"2025-10-31T12:52:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T16:52:40","slug":"five-animal-play-qigong-and-five-element-five-zang-theory-revised%ef%bc%89","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=12978","title":{"rendered":"Five-Animal Play Qigong and Five-Element Five-Zang Theory (Revised\uff09"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Five-Animal Play Qigong and Five-Element & Five-Zang Theory<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Kevin W Chen, Ph.D. MPH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wuqinxi, or Five-Animal Play is one of the important Qigong exercises in traditional Chinese wellness practice. Its founder, Hua Tuo (about 145-208), was born in Qiqiao County, Peiguo (now Bozhou, Anhui province) at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He wrote a lot works in his life, but they were all lost in the history. The current biographies of The Chinese Classic and the Secret Biography of Dr. Hua Tuo are all done by using his name.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Hua Tuo created the Five-Animal Play based on the \u201cTwo-Animal play\u201d in Zhuangzi. According to Hua Tuo’s Biography of Fangshu in the Book of the Later Han dynasty, “I have an art called the Play of Five Animals: the tiger is one, the deer is two, the bear is three, the ape is four, and the bird is five. They can be used to eliminate disease, and to benefit the foot, as a guiding exercise. When the body has not been feeling well, start to make an animal play, happy but sweat, because of the power from the animal, the body is light and wants to eat. By practicing it, one was more than ninety years old; his eyes and ears were wise and his teeth were firm.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2001, after the establishment of the Center for Health Qigong Management in The General Administration of Sports of China, Shanghai Institute of Sport commissioned the digging, sorting and research of Wuqinxi (Five-Animal Play), and compiled the Health Qigong Wuqinxi, which was published by People’s Sports Publishing House in 2003. “Health Qigong \u2022 Wuqinxi” its action choreography, reflecting the order appeared in \u300aThree Kingdom\u300b, which is the tiger, deer, bear, ape and bird; the number of action in accordance with the description of Tao Hongjing\u2019s Record of Nurturing Spirit and Prolonging life. Every play has two actions, a total of ten actions. They simulate respectively the tiger\u2019s brave and strength, the deer\u2019s ease and comfort, the bear\u2019s calmness and stable, the ape\u2019s dexterity and flexibility, and the bird\u2019s lightness and quickness, making every effort to contain the spirit of “five animals”.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Wuqinxi reflects the full life state of the five kinds of animals, their variation in living habits, posture, as well as the Yin-yang characteristics, such as tiger\u2019s strong and masculine, deer\u2019s The quick and alert, ape\u2019s clever and dexterity, bear\u2019s calm and steady, and the crane\u2019s easy and lightness. Its core philosophy is grounded in the Five-Element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and Zang-Fu (Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung, Kidney) theories of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Five Elements correspond to the Zang-organs as follows: Liver-Wood, Heart-Fire, Spleen-Earth, Lung-Metal, and Kidney-Water. By imitating the animals\u2019 postures and rhythms, the exercises regulate qi and blood flow in the corresponding organs, promoting balance and disease prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a detailed description of one explanations to help reader to practice Wuqinxi better:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiger play<\/strong>: Tiger belongs to Wood\u200b in the five-element system, corresponding to the \u200bLiver\u200b as its primary organ. <\/p>\n\n\n

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According to TCM visceral manifestation theory, “the liver governs tendons and manifests in the claws” (claws are an extension of tendons). The tiger\u2019s “sharp claws” (executed through tiger-claw hand gestures) directly align with the liver\u2019s tendon-governing function. Flexing and extending the claws in Tiger Play helps relax tendons, activate collaterals, and regulate liver qi. The movements of Tiger Play are characterized by \u200bpowerful force and a vigorous demeanor<\/strong>, such as “Tiger Lifts” (palms pushing upward with chest expanded) and “Tiger Pounces” (leaning forward with force focused on the fingertips). These actions embody Wood\u2019s nature of “bending and straightening,” which resonates with the liver\u2019s role in promoting free flow of qi and soothing emotions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By imitating the tiger\u2019s strength and agility, Tiger Play targets liver function regulation. It alleviates spinal discomfort, enhances joint flexibility, and incorporates “glaring with angry eyes” (the eyes are the external reflection of the liver) to stabilize emotions and relieve liver qi stagnation. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Deer Play<\/strong>: the deer belongs to water element, corresponding to the \u200bKidney<\/strong>\u200b as its primary organ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TCM states that “the kidney governs bones and generates marrow.” The deer\u2019s “running and leaping” (as in “Deer Runs”) relies on strong bones and muscles, directly reflecting the kidney\u2019s bone-nourishing function. Meanwhile, the deer\u2019s “lightness and agility” (as in “Deer Turns”) depend on the kidney\u2019s role as the “controller of movement” for the entire body . Deer Play emphasizes \u200bcalmness and reaching-up postures<\/strong>, such as “Deer Turns” (waist twisting with alternating hand movements) and “Deer Runs” (sitting back and stretching forward to form a bow-shaped spine). These motions align with Water\u2019s “moistening and flowing downward” nature, helping nourish kidney yin and warm kidney yang .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through imitating the deer\u2019s vitality and stability, Deer Play focuses on strengthening kidney function. It reinforces the waist and bones, warms kidney yang, and enhances the kidney\u2019s essence-storing capacity via focused movements like “looking backward,” thereby preventing lower back pain and fatigue .<\/p>\n\n\n

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Bear play:<\/strong> Bear belongs to the earth, mainly train the muscles and the spleen-stomach. The body of bear is dull, vigorous and calm, with a big inner strength and a heavy shape and inner dexterity. It mainly imitates bear’s steady body shaking and other actions. For example, bear shakes its body with spiral tightening, moves its whole body with shoulder collar spine, moves its elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle and other parts completely, that is, pulls the whole body to start. Bear play practice can strengthen the spleen and liver, promote digestion, good sleep, strengthen limbs muscles, increase strength, flexible joints. Constant exercise to prevent spleen deficiency, liver and spleen enlargement, diabetes, constipation, gastroptosis, excessive gastric acid, duodenal ulcer, rectoanal prolapse, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ape play<\/strong>: ape or monkey belongs to fire, mainly train the brain and heart. The nature of ape is like moving not like quiet, good at climbing, jumping, hiding. Imitate the ape’s jump up and down, left and right looking at the action, keep mind at Lao-gong point. Externally exercise the flexibility of body, internally exercise the turbulence of restraint sentiment. Ape practice heart, mind-heart control blood-vein. Practice of ape play can nourish the heart and brain, become healthy and wise, dreg blood and enhance spirit, prevent forgetfulness, cerebrovascular disease, cerebral thrombosis, anemia, etc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Bird play: <\/strong>The bird belongs to metal, mainly train skin and lung. Here bird refers to a kind of long-lived bird represented by crane. Its limbs are light, good at migration, good at flying high, and enjoy quarrel, with a high degree of balance. To imitate the movement of spreading wings to fly and keep mind at “Qi-hai point” (lower dantian), it can regulate qi and blood, increase vital capacity, enhance lung function, dredge channels and collaterals, and flexible joints. The eyes of the crane is always looking around, moving, looking around, and what is the function of the eye of the bird? It is the function of the lungs. When it ACTS in conjunction with movements, such as flying crane, when it is lifted, all the viscera rise up, when it falls down, all down, and return to normal. Such an upper and down, open and closure, the internal organs especially the lungs play important function. Practice of bird play can improve lung function, strengthen muscle surface, nourish Yin and moisten lung, clear heat and relieve heat, open chest and regulate qi. With possible healing and prevention from tuberculosis, night sweats, arthritis, heart tingling, wheezing cough, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Clinical Studies on the Health Benefits of Wuqinxi (Five-Animal Plays)\u200b<\/strong>\u200b<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Modern research has increasingly focused on validating the health benefits of Wuqinxi through clinical studies. These investigations examine its effects on specific physiological indicators and chronic diseases, providing scientific support for its traditional claims of promoting organ health and overall well-being .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200b1. Musculoskeletal and Motor Function Improvements<\/strong>\u200b<\/h4>\n\n\n\n