Five Elements

Five basic building blocks of the universe and human mind-body

Ancient Chinese and Greek philosophers discussed four or five elements depending on the specific person's writings and period of history.

These elements are both a broad, wide sweeping concept as well as an interwoven, complex web of interactions. Starting broad and simple allows for deeper exploration of more complex interactions between these elemental forces.

In Chinese philosophy the five elements are metal, water, wood, fire & earth. Each element is related to a pair of organs;

Metal - Lung & Large Intestine

肺 主 一身之 氣 “The Lungs govern the Qi of the entire body"

Water - Kidney & Bladder

腎 主 骨， 骨生髓 ， 腦 為 髓 海 “The Kidneys govern the bones, the bones generate marrow and the brain is the Sea of Marrow.” 

Wood - Liver & Gallbladder

肝 主 運 動 “The Liver governs physical movement.” 

Fire - Heart & Small Intestine

心為 君 火， 化 生血液 “The Heart is Sovereign Fire and engenders and transforms the blood.” 

Earth - Spleen & Stomach

脾 主 肌 肉， 主 四 肢 “The Spleen governs the muscles, flesh and the four limbs.” 

In Xingyiquan each element is related to a fist, making up the five fists of xingyi. Five element nei gong or five element qi gong is a method of isolating and training different movement patterns to develop the body mechanics needed to perform the five fists of xingyi.

Taijiquan most closely resembles xingyiquan and there are subtle similarities between the two sister arts.

Nei Gong / Qi Gong

Is the diligent, daily work that the ancient martial artists and medical practitioners would do to prepare for battle and taking care of patients or assign to patients as homework for self-care to target specific ailments.

Exercising in a way that stimulates the lungs and surrounding tissues promotes lung health in the same way that doing biceps curls will strengthen the biceps muscle. This philosophy is applied to the mind-body as a whole working on subtle energetic aspects down to the deeper more solid musculoskeletal parts.

The energetic or psycho-emotional aspects of the five elements are also referred to as the five emotions or spirits. When referring to an element the yin organ is referenced but it implies its yang pair, for example; lungs refers to both lung (yin) and large intestine (yang) functions but for simplicity only lungs will be written.

Lungs - Inspiration & Grief

Kidney - Willpower & Fear

Liver - Determination & Anger

Heart - Joy & Sadness

Spleen - Intellect & Worry

These five emotions are the spiritual or psycho-emotional expressions of the energy of the respective organ, giving the five elements a more subtle energetic quality alongside their very real physical qualities within the mind-body.

Keeping with the theme of the lungs, physiologically the lungs and large intestine work together and are interconnected via the breath. The rhythmic movement of the inhalation and exhalation of the lung, with the help of the diaphragm, stimulates peristalsis in the large intestine promoting healthy digestion. Deep breathing, into the lower abdomen where the intestines reside, calms the nervous system and promotes a state of resting and digesting which shows in a simple way how these two organs are connected internally.

Stay tuned for more information on the five elements and traditional Chinese medicine! Thanks for reading.