Hsing-i Ch'uan claims to specialize in deceptively soft, linear, low attacks and quick yet solid footwork. Hsing-i uses five distinct elements or forms as metaphors assigned to represent the details of different combative methods. These Five Elements or Five Steps (五行 Wu Hsing or Wǔ Xíng) are based on Taoist cosmology, and practitioners of the art are taught that reactions to attacks and counter attacks should be conditioned by which of the elements an attack is considered to be coming from. As combatants or "elements" interact their conflict is said come to an end result predictable by wu hsing theory. Proponents also say that in Hsing-i Ch'uan there are at least three outcomes in a combat situation; the constructive, the neutral, and the destructive. Hsing-i students train to react to and execute specific techniques in such a way that a desirable cycle will form based on the constructive, neutral and destructive interactions of wu hsing theory. Where to aim, where to hit and with what technique - and how those motions should also work defensively - is determined by what point of which cycle they see themselves in.

Hsing-i Ch'uan practitioners consider their martial art to be an internal style, with an emphasis on ch'i (qi) development and coordination in their training. Traditional Chinese weapon training is another feature of Hsing-i Ch'uan as a martial art.