Bruce Lee famously said, “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water, my friend.”
Water is one of the five elements in the Chinese philosophy of wu xing. This theory first appeared in the studies of Taoism, during the spring and autumn period sometime between 770–476 BCE. It rapidly expanded with its use in Chinese medicine, philosophy, fengshui, fortune-telling, and martial arts – and is still prevalent to date.
The five elements – wood, fire, earth, metal, and water – are generated by the interaction between yin and…