Qigong Routines · SequenceLast reviewed Oct 23, 2026

Wu Qin Xi (Five Animal Frolics)

五禽戏

· 13 movements · 13 min · Free (name says 5)

Naming · The English names are descriptive translations in common use. The official compilation publishes no English movement names.

Opening

起势

Stand with the feet a little wider than the shoulders and parallel — never turned out. Lift the left foot by the heel first and then the toe, and land toe first, then heel, letting the heel settle outward. Head and spine upright, chest contained, shoulders dropped, arms hanging.
Turning the feet out into an A-shape while opening the stance.

Raising the Tiger

虎举

Open both palms downward with all ten fingers spread, curl the first two knuckles into a claw, then rotate outward into a solid fist starting from the little finger and working through to the thumb, the fist eye facing forward. Raise the fists above the head, re-open the ten fingers, elbows completely straight as if holding up a heavy weight. Turn the palms and close into fists again, the two fists facing each other at shoulder width, then draw them down with the elbows bending forward and the forearms staying vertical, and press down beside the body.
The hand sequence — open palm, curled claw, twisted fist — is the form. The eyes follow the hands. The lift, raise, draw and press all travel on one line, which is what keeps the trunk upright.

Pouncing the Tiger

虎扑

With empty fists, draw two vertical circles in front of the body. First circle: bring the fists up to the chest, reach forward and upward until they are parallel to the floor in a long draw of the waist, pause, then press down beside the knees with the palms facing down. Second circle runs straight on into the pounce: down to either side of the forward knee, fingers changed to claws, force reaching the fingertips.
The trunk folds and then unfolds as one slow wave. The gaze stays on the hands. The step alternates between a horse stance and an empty stance, and the two pounces reach differently — the first from a straight-legged stance lifts the fist to above the head before it turns to claws, the second folds back and brings the fist to the shoulder before the weight shifts.

The Side-Raise Breathing Transition

侧举调息

This transition appears four times in the set — between the animals — and it is where the imagery is meant to change over. It is a settling movement, not a new form.
After the opening adjustment the hands are raised in front; between animals they are raised toward the front-side, palms up, at about 45 degrees. Keep the shoulders down and the movement unhurried.

Deer Stamping

鹿抵

First beat: knees soft, weight to the right; the left foot steps forward and out past the inside of the right foot, landing heel first; empty fists swing level with the shoulders to the right, the eyes following the hands. Second beat: weight moves forward over the bent left leg while the right leg straightens; the hands form the deer antler — middle and ring fingers curled and locked tight, thumb driven outward, index and little finger straight — palms outward, tracing a level circle as the waist turns left. Third beat: the waist bends and rotates to the left, the left elbow resting against the left waist, the right arm lifting before the head and rotating back to the left so the left waist compresses and the right side lengthens; the eyes look at the right heel. Fourth beat: turn back, draw the left foot in, and trace a vertical circle down in front of the body.
Three rules: the upper arm must reach further than the lower arm; the body rotates around its vertical axis instead of leaning forward; and the forward foot opens on a 45-degree diagonal with the knee pointing the same way as the toe, the thigh staying level and the back leg fully straight — the front arch and rear drive. The route in one line: raise and circle vertically at shoulder height, circle level as the waist turns and the eyes drop, then circle vertically again to return.

Deer Galloping

鹿奔

Four parts. Step up: bend the knee, extend the leg into a bow stance, empty fists sweeping up and forward until the wrists level with the shoulders, palms down — a big step followed by a small landing, hands turning like a winch. Sit back: shift the weight back, the front leg straightening with the heel still on the floor, head down, back rounded, abdomen drawn in and the hips tucked forward; both arms rotate inward and extend, the fists changing to antlers. Two bows are formed: the horizontal bow across the shoulders and arms, and the vertical bow through the back, waist and hips. Recover: lift the torso back into the bow stance, relax the shoulders and drop the elbows, rotate the antlers outward into empty fists at shoulder height, draw the front foot back, open the fists and let them fall beside the body. Change step: a light spring step, the toe touching down first and then the whole foot.
Three essentials for the vertical bow: the chest must be contained, the abdomen drawn deep around the navel until the middle feels hollow, and the hips gathered in so the lower back bulges and Mingmen comes forward. From behind, the shoulder blades close inward into a round back; from the side, the deepest point of the curve sits at Mingmen. The change step has a spring quality: load the supporting foot as if compressing a spring, then release it slowly.

Bear Rolling

熊运

Arms hanging, the hip joints fixed and the whole body relaxed with the weight over the lower abdomen. Form the bear paw — thumb pressing onto the tip of the index, the other four fingers together and curled, the web of the thumb and index rounded — and hold the two paws lightly against the surface of the body below the navel, facing each other. They then travel in a circle around the navel, clockwise first and then counter-clockwise, returning to the lower abdomen after each circuit. Think of it like the hand of a clock moving past six, then nine, then twelve, then three.
The hands are passengers. The circle is made by the waist and abdomen carrying them, not by the arms tracing it — loose shoulders are the key. The hips are the root, the legs the branches, the feet the tips. Four compressions per circuit: slightly forward through the chest for the upper burner, squeeze to the right, open upward, squeeze to the left, then reverse straight into the other direction.

Bear Swaying

熊晃

The sequence is hip lift, knee bend, landing — tight, loose, solid. Shift the weight to the right foot and lift the left hip; turn the left leg and foot 45 degrees under the pull of the waist muscles while relaxing the attention there; step the left foot forward and to the side, landing on the whole foot with a sense of vibration, the left shoulder following the turn by 15 to 20 degrees; sit back and rotate the waist to the limit, stretching the left flank, eyes looking 45 degrees ahead to the left; then lead with the intention, draw the left flank forward and return the weight to the bow stance.
The shoulder method: leaning forward and sitting back twists the waist and rocks the shoulders — the forward swing drops the shoulder, the back swing lifts it, and the two ribs open and close with it. The leg is lifted in order — hip first, then leg, then knee — and the thigh does no work of its own. The bear section is traditionally described as the hinge of the set: the most complex, and the one that connects what comes before to what follows.

Ape Raising

猿提

Hands in front of the abdomen, slightly opened, fingers straight and spread. Speed is the point here: quickly flex the wrists and gather the fingers into the ape hook, then lift both hands to the chest with the shoulders shrugged and drawn in, elbows hanging, tiger mouths facing each other about 5 to 10 centimeters apart, hook tips pointing down. Raise the head and look around to one side through 90 degrees, then return to centre. Let the shoulders sink, open the hooks into palms and press down slowly in front of the abdomen. At the same time draw the abdomen in, lift the perineum and raise the heels; settle them on the way down.
The lift runs in a fixed order: shoulders shrug first while the heels rise, then the wrists flex and the hands come up; the full order to raise the centre of gravity is shoulders, abdomen, perineum, heels, head. Baihui leads upward, the qi settles in the lower abdomen, and the downward press stays over the front of the foot to keep the body vertical. The gathering is centred on Zhongqi, with shoulders shrugged, neck shortened, chest contained, back rounded, elbows bent and hands lifted, the upper arms kept against the ribs so the elbows do not wing out.

Ape Reaching

猿摘

Working the left side. The left hooked hand rests at the waist with the hook tip pointing back. The right hand swings forward, palm down, no higher than the waist, then travels down across the abdomen and up behind to the left side of the head, palm inward, level with the temple; it presses straight down as if gripping a branch, then sweeps out to the right and turns into a hook at the right side — again gripping a branch — while the left arm travels back, up and forward to gather into a hooked hand above and in front of the head, the two arms more than 90 degrees apart. The left hand closes into a firm hold, elbow drawn back beside the left shoulder, palm up as if holding the picked fruit; the right hand drops, opens from the hook and supports below the left elbow. Below: the left foot withdraws diagonally back onto the toe, the right leg bends into a bow stance, the weight moves back, the right heel lifts into an empty stance, the right foot lifts and lands inside the left forefoot, then reaches forward-right, heel first, rolling to the whole foot with the leg straight and the left leg extended behind on the toe, the body stretched tall so it forms a vertical line with the right leg. The weight settles back, the left knee bends, the right foot returns to the toe and the starting stance is restored.
Three things happen at once, three times over: withdrawing the left foot and returning the right foot to a narrow stance while the right hand scoops and the head turns to look up-right; extending the right leg and stretching the arm to reach while the eyes stay up-right; then drawing the right foot back, bending the arm to hold the fruit and looking into the left palm. The palm sequence runs: swing, scoop, press, gather, fling, support. Hand, eye, body and step work through a 135-degree range, and the number of steps is matched to the bear swaying so the set finishes where it started. The hold is deliberately light, used to settle the mind rather than to squeeze.

Bird Stretching

鸟伸

Both palms stacked in front of the abdomen, fingers together. Raise them above and in front of the head, arms straight, wrists flexed, palms flat and horizontal with the fingertips forward — the beak of a white crane — the hands and shoulders forming a triangle. Flex the wrist from flexed to extended to press down to the abdomen. Then open both arms into a wide V behind the body at about 45 degrees, palms turned into bird wings with the wrists cocked up. Below: knees soften, the weight settles onto one leg, the other leg draws in and swings back to open, both knees straight, the torso and the lifted leg forming a backward arch. Through the torso: contain the chest, draw the abdomen in, tuck the hips, then draw the shoulders inward around the nape while lifting the chest, letting the lower back sag and the tailbone lift. On the way down, release the abdomen and let the hips fall.
This is the only backward-arched shape in the set. The hands above the head act on the nape and the tailbone to draw the Governing Vessel; the arms opening backward stretch the Conception Vessel. Cold shoulders and a shortened neck mean drawing both shoulder blades firmly together around Dazhui, chin slightly in — and the chest lifts, the lower back sags, the tailbone rises, without the body tipping too far forward.

Bird Flying

鸟飞

Begin with both palms facing each other in front of the abdomen as if holding a ball. Lift the arms out to the sides, elbows softly bent, the hands moving as if pulling silk: first sink the shoulders, then drop the elbows, then lift the wrists, rising to ear height with the palms turned into bird wings, wrists seated and fingers spread. Lower them, and here the order reverses: first release the shoulders, then drop the elbows, then press the palms down and inward, closing in front of the abdomen as if squeezing a balloon. Rise again, this time above the head, arms softly bent, the backs of the hands facing each other and the wrists close with a small gap forming a trumpet shape. Lower again. Below: lift one knee, touch the toe down, lift the other knee, land and change legs. Start with the feet shoulder-width apart, and on the change narrow to half that, which makes the single-leg balance steadier.
Tight and loose alternate: arms straightening and tightening as they rise, wrists relaxing and shoulders sinking as they press down, tightening again as they open back, relaxing as the hands stack. The rise starts from the shoulders — sink, drop the elbows, lift the wrists — and the fall reverses it. The hand shape changes at shoulder height: palms become wings at the side lift, become palms again on the way down, become wings as they rise overhead, and become palms as they fall to shoulder height. When the supporting leg is straight, the top of the head leads upward; in the single-leg squat, bend the supporting knee rather than straightening the lifted leg.

Gathering the Qi

引气归元

Inhale, lift the abdomen and perineum, rotate the arms inward and outward and swing the palms from behind to the front; extend at about 60 degrees and look ahead. Exhale, release the abdomen and perineum, sink slightly and gather the palms in front of the abdomen, fingers facing each other, eyes level. Breathe in and out three times in total.
This is the closing of the set, not an optional extra. Keep the gaze soft. Traditionally the qi is gathered at Guanyuan, the point at the lower abdomen where the Conception Vessel and the three yin channels meet, which is described in the source material as the place where the gathered qi is returned to its origin.

Tai Chi Wuji · https://www.taichiwuji.com/qigong-routines/wu-qin-xi/