Reconsidering the essence of Chinese wushu from ontological, epistemological and axiological perspectives

Slide_psycholog

Psychological indicators of mental health in boxing athletes according to gender

It has been observed that the gender differences in personality traits found in our study contradict the findings of other researchers, who have reported higher levels of negative traits such as TA and Nu in wome

Slide_reconssidering

Reconsidering the essence of Chinese wushu from ontological, epistemological and axiological perspectives

Chinese wushu can thus be understood as a distinctive mode of embodied attack and defence practice historically crystallised into a quan centred knowledge system within Chinese culture...

Slide_A_Scale

A scale of weekly psychomotor activity from the perspective of personal safety in a complementary framework

The inclusion of WPAS in scientific analyses of indicators recorded particularly during interdisciplinary research opens up new avenues for cognitive and practical applications.

Slide_Ashwaganda

Effects of ashwagandha (withania somnifera) supplementation on strength and anaerobic capacity of upper and lower limbs of elite wrestlers

Ashwagandha does not improve muscle strength in elite wrestlers; however, it may enhance athletes’ tolerance to fatigue resulting from an intensive training period, as evidenced by measures of anaerobic capacity in the upper and lower limbs

Slide_Men_effect_of_ph

Effect of physical activity on emotional intelligence in children aged 7-14: systematic review

Similar results were observed regardless of cultural context and methodology of included studies, showing importance of physical activity for school-aged children and its link to their mental well-being

Slide_Shoulder

Shoulder joint position sense in judo athletes

The error for the target angles of 120° was the smallest in the pulling hand, thus suggesting a better sense of position

Slide_Men_Kendo

Men strike motion in kendo eighth dan practitioners: a time series analysis of joint and shinai angle commonalities and variability

Eighth dan kendo practitioners share stable technical features in men strike with selective scope for individual adapxation

Slide_ICF

An ICF-based approach to evaluating the functional profile and independence in the daily life of people after Spinal Cord Injury participating in the Foundation for Active Rehabilitation camp

The three types of visualization proposed in the article can be used by therapy-instructional teams to plan targeted interventions.

Slide_Men_Dominant

Visual precedent in pedagogical projection as a means of forming ideas about hand-to-hand combat without weapons systems

This publication may be an example of countering the tendency to promote neo-gladiatorism under the attractive name of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Slide_Men_The_EFF

The effect of complete fasting on urinary oxidative stress indicators in middle-aged individuals – preliminary studies

8-day fasting in trained middle-aged men and women induces a state of increased oxidative stress and proteinuria, indicating significant metabolic and renal burden

Slide_Men_The_EFF

Strategic adaptation in Para Taekwondo following the five-minute single-round rule: the 2023 World Championships and 2024 Paris Paralympics

Under the revised Para Taekwondo rules prioritizing technical efficiency and defensive stability is significantly more critical for winning than merely increasing offensive volum

Slide_Men_The_EFF

Testing fights in a vertical posture of 11-year-old
schoolgirls in round robin system as an example of complementary health and survival education in amodern school

During mild hand-to-hand-combat measures, the greater likelihood of successful self-defence against physical aggression by female peers should be linked to the somatic potential of eleven-year-old girls identified with BMI

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Personality traits in male judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes with the use of different questionnaires

It seems advisable to introduce appropriate pedagogical and psychotherapeutic content into combat sports training to reduce the negative impact of personality traits on mental and physical health.

Details: Category: 2026, Volume 22; 27 May 2026; Hits: 340

Jie Du¹

¹ School of Physical Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China;

Author for correspondence: Jie Du, School of Physical Education, Shanxi University, Wucheng Street No.92, Taiyuan, China, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jie Du: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0300-2127

Abstract

Background and Study Aim: Chinese wushu, as a key component of traditional Chinese culture, combines embodied attack and defence techniques with cultural meanings. The question of its essence has long been central to hand-to-hand systems studies, yet the lack of scholarly consensus continues to limit its theoretical clarification and contemporary development The cognitive goal of this innovative research is to consider new aspects of the essence of Chinese wushu from ontological, epistemological and axiological perspectives. The cognitive goal of this innovative research is to consider new aspects of the essence of Chinese wushu from an ontological, epistemological and axiological perspective..

Material and Methods: This study adopxs a theoretical desk research approach and concepxual analysis. It reviews key Chinese and international literature on Chinese wushu and related philosophical theories, and uses ontology, epistemology and axiology as an integrated framework to reinterpret the essence of Chinese wushu.

Results: Ontologically, Chinese wushu is identified as a mode of human practice that takes the body as its medium and embodied attack and defence as its core structure. Epistemologically, the study shows that bodily experience and practical cognition are gradually organised into mature martial forms and crystallised in distinct quan styles, which constitute the core epistemic system of Chinese wushu. Axiologically, the value of Chinese wushu cannot be reduced to combat effectiveness alone. Its attack and defence function remains the foundation, but has been transformed into broader educational, self-cultivational, cultural and social values. Contemporary transformations such as commercialisation, unreflective sporting and performativity should therefore be critically examined through the integrated perspectives of ontology, epistemology and axiology.

Conclusions: Chinese wushu can thus be understood as a distinctive mode of embodied attack and defence practice historically crystallised into a quan centred knowledge system within Chinese culture, condensing educational, ethical, health and identity values and providing a cultural resource for its future development and global dissemination.

Keywords: attack, cultural values defence, self-cultivation, social values

APA
Du, J. (2026). Reconsidering the essence of Chinese wushu from ontological, epistemological and axiological perspectives. Arch Budo Journal of Innovation and Agonology, 22.

Chicago
Du, Jie. 2026. “Reconsidering the Essence of Chinese Wushu from Ontological, Epistemological and Axiological Perspectives.” Arch Budo Journal of Innovation and Agonology 22.

Harvard
Du, J. (2026). Reconsidering the essence of Chinese wushu from ontological, epistemological and axiological perspectives. Arch Budo Journal of Innovation and Agonology, 22.

MLA
Du, Jie. “Reconsidering the Essence of Chinese Wushu from Ontological, Epistemological and Axiological Perspectives.” Arch Budo Journal of Innovation and Agonology, vol. 22, 2026.

Vancouver
Du J. Reconsidering the essence of Chinese wushu from ontological, epistemological and axiological perspectives. Arch Budo J Inn Agon. 2026;22.

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The specific mission of the Archives of Budo 2023 is to strive for a breakthrough in public perception of a broad class of combat sports and martial arts as specific means of innovative agonology.