Qi

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Qi (Chi)
Chinese Name
Pinyin	qì
Wade-Giles	ch'i4
Traditional Chinese	氣
Simplified Chinese	气
Japanese Name
Romaji	ki
Kanji	気
Korean Name
Revised Romanization	gi
McCune-Reischauer	ki
Hangul	기
Hanja	氣
Vietnamese Name
quốc ngữ	khí
Thai Name
Thai	ชี่

Qi, also commonly spelled ch'i (in Wade-Giles romanization) or ki (in romanized Japanese), is a fundamental concept of traditional Chinese culture. Qi is believed to be part of every living thing that exists, as a kind of “life force” or “spiritual energy.” It is frequently translated as “energy flow,” or literally as “air” or “breath.” (For example, tiānqì, literally “sky breath”, is the ordinary Chinese word for "weather). In Mandarin Chinese it is pronounced something like "chee" in English, but the tongue position is different. (See Media:Difficult Sounds.GIF.)

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Qi in early philosophical texts 3 Qi in traditional Chinese medicine 4 Qi in Feng Shui 5 Nature of qi 6 Qi in martial arts 7 Japanese interpretation 8 Types of qi 9 Similar concepts in other cultures 10 See also 11 External links 12 Further reading 13 References

[edit] Etymology

The etymological explanation for the form of the qi logogram in the traditional form 氣 is “steam (气) rising from rice (米) as it cooks.”

The earliest way of writing qi consisted of three wavy lines, used to represent one's breath seen on a cold day. A later version, 气, (identical to the present-day simplified character) is a stylized version of those same three lines. For some reason, early writers of Chinese found it desirable to substitute for 气 a cognate, character that originally meant to feed other people in a social context such as providing food for guests. Appropriately, that character combined the three-line qi character with the character for the grain we call rice. So 气 plus 米 formed 氣, and that is the traditional character still used today. (See the Oracle bone character, the Seal script character and the modern "school standard" or Kǎi shū characters in the box at the right for three stages of the evolution of this character.)^[1]

References to things analogous to the qi taken to be the life-process or “flow” of metaphysical energy that sustains living beings are found in many belief systems, especially in Asia. Philosophical conceptions of qi date from the earliest recorded times in Chinese thinking. One of the important early cultural heroes in Chinese mythology is Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor). He is identified in the legends of China as the one who first collected and formalized much of what subsequently became known as traditional Chinese medicine.

The earliest extant book that speaks of qi is the Analects of Confucius (composed from the notes of individual students some time after his death in 479 B.C.) Unlike the legendary accounts mentioned above, the Analects has a clear date in history, and most later books (at least the ones that do not purport to be relics of the legendary earliest rulers) can also be assigned clear dates in history.

Although the concept of qi has been very important within many Chinese philosophies, over the centuries their descriptions of qi have been varied and may seem to be in conflict with each other. Understanding of these disputes is complicated for people who did not grow up using the Chinese concept and its associated concepts. Until China came into contact with Western scientific and philosophical ideas (primarily by way of Catholic missionaries), they knew about things like stones and lightning, but they would not have categorized them in terms of matter and energy. Qi and li (理, li, pattern) are their fundamental categories much as matter and energy have been fundamental categories for people in the West. Their use of qi (lifebreath) and li (pattern, regularity, form, order) as their primary categories leaves in question how to account for liquids and solids, and, once the Western idea of energy came on the scene, how to relate it to the native idea of "qi." If Chinese and Western concepts are mixed in an attempt to characterize some of the problems that arise with the Chinese conceptual system, then one might ask whether qi exists as a "force" separate from "matter," whether qi arises from "matter", or whether "matter" arises from qi. But those questions occur only in the hybrid conceptual system.

Analysis of the relationship between qi (breath, lifebreath) and li (the patterns, regularities, or the formal aspect of things) has been very difficult for Chinese philosophers. In addition, how to account for what people in the West might casually categorize as "solid stuff" was also a problem. Fairly early on, some Chinese thinkers began to believe that there are different fractions of qi (in the sense that different fractions can be extracted from crude oil in a catalytic cracker), and that the coarsest and heaviest fractions of qi form solid things such as rocks, the earth, etc., whereas lighter fractions form liquids, and the most ethereal fractions are the "lifebreath" that animates living beings.^[2]

[edit] Qi in early philosophical texts

The earliest texts that speak of qi give some indications of how the concept developed. The philosopher Mo Di (also known as Mo Zi or "Master Mo") used the word qi to refer to noxious vapors that would in due time arise from a corpse were it not buried at a sufficient depth.^[3] He reported that early civilized humans learned how to live in houses to protect their qi from the moisture that had troubled them when they lived in caves.^[4] He also associated maintaining one's qi with providing oneself adequate nutrition.^[5] And, in regard to another kind of qi he recorded how some people performed a kind of prognostication by observing the qi (clouds) in the sky.^[6]

In the Analects of Confucius, (composed from the notes of individual students sometime after his death in 479 B.C.), qi can mean "breath",^[7] and it can be combined with the Chinese word for blood (making 血氣, xue-qi, blood and breath)and that concept can be used to account for motivational characteristics. The Analects, 16:7, says:

The [morally] noble man guards himself against three things. When he is young, his xue-qi has not yet stabilized, so he guards himself against sexual passion. When he reaches his prime, his xue-qi is not easily subdued, so he guards himself against combativeness. When he reaches old age, his xue-qi is already depleted, so he guards himself against acquisitiveness.

Meng Ke (also known as Meng Zi, Master Meng, or Mencius) described a kind of qi that might be characterized as an individual's vital energies, animal energies, or something like that. This qi was necessary to activity, and it could be controlled by a well-integrated will power.^[8] But this qi could not adequately be characterized by English words like "lifebreath" or "bio-plasma" because when properly nurtured it was capable of extending beyond the human body to reach throughout the universe.^[9] This qi can be augmented by means of careful exercise of one's moral capacities.^[10] On the other hand, the qi of an individual can be degraded by averse external forces that succeed in operating on that individual.^[11]

Not only human beings and animals were believed to have qi. Zhuang Zhou (also known as Zhuang Zi or Master Zhuang) indicated that wind is the qi of the earth.^[12] Moreover, cosmic Yin and Yang "are the greatest of qi."^[13] He describes qi as "issuing forth" and creating profound effects.^[14]

Zhuang Zi gave us one of the most productive of insights into the nature of qi. He said, "Human beings are born [because of] the accumulation of　qi.　When it accumulates there is life. When it dissipates there is death....There is one qi that connects and pervades everything in the world."^[15]

Another passage traces life to intercourse between Heaven and Earth: "The highest Yin is the most restrained. The highest Yang is the most exuberant. The restrained comes forth from Heaven. The exuberant issues forth from Earth. The two intertwine and penetrate forming a harmony, and [as a result] things are born."^[16]

Zhuang Zi was a contemporary of Mencius. Xun Zi followed them after some years. At 9:69/127, Xun Zi says: "Fire and water have qi but do not have life. Grasses and trees have life but do not have perceptivity. Fowl and beasts have perceptivity but do not have yi (sense of right and wrong, duty, justice). Men have qi, life, perceptivity, and yi." This passage gives us some insight into his idea of qi. Chinese people at such an early time had no concept of radiant energy. But they were aware that one can be heated by a campfire even though the air between camper and fire is quite cold. Clearly, something is emitted by the fire and reaches the camper. They called it qi. At 18:62/122, he too uses qi to refer to the vital forces of the body that decline with advanced age.

Later, the syncretic text assembled under the direction of Liu An, the Huai Nan Zi has a passage that presages most of what is given greater detail by the Neo-Confucians:

Heaven (seen here as the ultimate source of all being) falls (duo 墮, i.e., descends into proto-immanence) as the formless. Fleeting, fluttering, penetrating, amorphous it is, and so it is called the Supreme Luminary. The dao begins in the Void Brightening. The Void Brightening produces the universe (yu-zhou ). The universe produces qi. Qi has bounds. The clear, yang [qi] was ethereal and so formed heaven. The heavy, turbid [qi] was congealed and impeded and so formed earth. The conjunction of the clear, yang [qi] was fluid and easy. The conjunction of the heavy, turbid [qi] was strained and difficult. So heaven was formed first and earth was made fast later. The pervading essence (xi-jing) of heaven and earth becomes yin and yang. The concentrated (zhuan) essences of yin and yang become the four seasons. The dispersed (san) essences of the four seasons become the myriad creatures. The hot qi of yang in accumulating produces fire. The essence (jing) of the fire-qi becomes the sun. The cold qi of yin in accumulating produces water. The essence of the water-qi becomes the moon. The essences produced by coitus (yin) of the sun and moon become the stars and celestial markpoints (chen, planets).

– Huai-nan-zi, 3:1a/19

The development of the ideas of qi and of qi zhi zhi xing (氣質之性) in Neo-Confucianism go beyond the scope of a fundamental account of Chinese ideas about qi, but the fundamentals are contained in the above passage.^[17]

[edit] Qi in traditional Chinese medicine

Theories of traditional Chinese medicine assert that the body has natural patterns of qi that circulate in channels called meridians in English. Symptoms of various illnesses are often believed to be the product of disrupted, blocked, or unbalanced qi movement (interrupted flow) through the body's meridians, as well as deficencies or imbalances of qi (homeostatic imbalance) in the various Zang Fu organs. Traditional Chinese medicine often seeks to relieve these imbalances by adjusting the circulation of qi (metabolic energy flow) in the body using a variety of therapeutic techniques. Some of these techniques include herbal medicines, special diets, physical training regimens (qigong, Tai Chi, and martial arts training), massage to clear blockages, and acupuncture, which uses small diameter metal needles inserted into the skin to reroute or balance qi.

[edit] Qi in Feng Shui

The traditional Chinese art of placement and arrangement of space called Feng Shui is based on the flow of qi, interactions between the five elements, yin and yang and other factors. The retention or dissipation of qi is believed to affect the health, wealth, energy level, luck and many other aspects of the occupants of the space. Color, shape and the physical location of each item in a space affects the flow of qi by slowing it down, redirecting it or accelerating it, which directly affects the energy level of the occupants.

[edit] Nature of qi

The nature of qi is a matter of controversy among those students of the subject who accept it as a valid concept, while those who dismiss its very existence ignore it, except for purposes of discussion with its adherents. Disputing the nature of qi is an old pursuit in Chinese philosophy. Among some traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, qi is sometimes thought of as a metaphor for biological processes similar to the Western concept of energy flow for homeostatic balance in biological regulations. Others argue that qi involves some new physics or biology. Attempts to directly connect qi with some scientific phenonomena have been made since the mid-nineteenth century. The philosopher Kang Youwei believed that qi was synonymous with the later-abandoned concept of luminiferous ether. Some scientists and practitioners are beginning to appreciate the practical applicability of qi and related concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine. (The NIH Consensus Statement on acupuncture in 1997 noted that such concepts "are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture."^[18])

Views of qi as an esoteric "force" tend to be more prominent in the West, where it has sometimes been associated with New Age spiritualism. These views are less prominent in modern communist China, where traditional Chinese medicine is often practiced and considered effective, but in which esoteric notions of qi are considered to contradict Marxist notions of dialectic materialism. China's current government in fact formally embraces anti-spiritual atheism. Many traditional martial arts schools also eschew a supernatural approach to the issue, identifying "external qi" or "internal qi" as representative of the varying leverage principles used to improve the efficacy of a well-trained, healthier than normal body with a given work load.

Some complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches not only assume its existence but believe that the purported subtle energy running through and surrounding the body can be manipulated so as to cultivate increased physical, psychological and spiritual health. Acupuncture, along with other practices of TCM, ayurveda, and many other traditional disciplines worldwide provide examples of similar beliefs. Properly funded, properly conducted and repeated empirical research is necessary to determine whether the success rate of these CAM approaches is due to the existence of subtle energy or other factors.

Some scientists do not doubt the efficacy of acupuncture and acupressure and it is available on the National Health Service in the UK. ^[19] Scientists do, however, dispute the existance of Qi, ascribing the therapeutic effects of acupuncture and acupressure to physiological changes induced in nerve cells by the act of 'needling', to endorphin-release, relaxation or simple placebo effects. Some people^{[citation needed]} believe that qi in scientific terms is really "bio-electricity", the electric current that exists in nature and runs through our nerves, sending signals to and from the brain. However, these neural signals have been extensively analysed and quantified by modern neuroscience and their connection, if any, to qi is spurious.

[edit] Qi in martial arts

Qi is a central concept in many Chinese, Korean and Japanese martial arts. While a traditional Neo-Confucian explanation of the principle is given in most martial art schools, many New Age-oriented or neo-ninja schools approach the subject from a more syncretist point of view, especially in the west.

[edit] Japanese interpretation

In Japanese philosophy, the Chinese character corresponding to qi (気) is pronounced ki. The Japanese language contains over 11,442 known usages of 'ki' as a compound. As a compound, it may represent syllables associated with the mind, the heart, feeling, the atmosphere, and flavor. The spiritual concept analogous to Chinese ki appears mainly in the martial arts, such as Aikido (See Ki Society). Usages of note also include reiki, kiai and kohki.

[edit] Types of qi

• Yuán qì - (primary qi)
• Jing (TCM) - (nutrient qi)
• Zhong Qi - (pectoral qi)
• Wei Qi - (defensive qi)
• Xi Gong - (strength qi)

[edit] Similar concepts in other cultures

The concept of a life-energy inherent in all living beings seems to be a fairly universal archetype, and appears in numerous ancient religions and systems of metaphysics (in addition to having been borrowed by George Lucas's science-fiction films).

Analogies to numina in other societies include:

• Polynesian mythology : mana
• Australian Aboriginal mythology : maban
• Egyptian mythology : ka
• Greek mythology/Christianity : pneuma
• Roman Mythology/Christianity : Spiritus
• Hebrew mythology : ruah
• Inuit mythology : inua, sila
• Leni Lenape mythology : manetuwak
• Norse mythology : seid
• Druidry : Awen
• Yoruba mythology : ashe
• Ghedee practice : mbec

Also related are the philosophical concepts of:

• European alchemy and philosophy : aether, (or ether), quintessence
• Hindu philosophy : prana

Related martial arts and exercise practices include

• Yoga - Indian culture

[edit] See also

• Aether (classical element)
• Aether theories
• Anima
• Awen
• Bioelectromagnetism
• Dantian
• Eastern philosophy
• Energy (spirituality)
• Etheric body
• Etheric plane
• Feng shui
• Iron Shirt
• Iron Palm
• Kundalini
• Mana
• Meditation
• Odic force
• Prana
• Tao Yin
• Tui na
• Yoga

[edit] External links

• Article by Bing YeYoung "A Philosophical and Cultural Interpretation of Qi"
• The American School of Classical Feng Shui
• Views on Qi, from several authorities on TCM Three short perspectives on the nature of Qi from scholars Yoshio Manaka (1995), Ted Kaptchuk (1983), and Giovanni Maciocia (1989)
• The Skeptics Dictionary
• The Idea Tree essay regarding Qi.
• Chinastyle Magazine article on Qi.
• Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming A Modern Definition of Qi.
• Ohio State University Medial Center The Philosophy and Art of Energy Medicine.
• Qi Journal newsletter on Qi-related news and current events.
• "Ask Dr. Wang" description of Qi and body humors.
• Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal articles concerning Qi.
• University of Colorado Qi=mc², an essay on Qi.
• Pacific University College of Optometry applications of Qi in medicine.
• Qigong Association of America
• Natural Health Web Qi Gong information.
• Chiherbal athlete supplier overview of Qi.
• Eastern Medical Center introduction to Qi.
• Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi Qi information.
• Columbia University introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi.
• Journal of Scientific Exploration Certain Physical Manifestation and Effects of External Qi.
• Overview of the connection between qi and feng shui.

[edit] Further reading

• Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis by James L. Oschman, PhD, Churchill Livingston, 2000
• Encounters with Qi: Exploring Chinese Medicine by David Eisenberg, M.D., Penguin, 1987.
• Cross Currents: The Promise of Electromedicine, the Perils of Electropollution by Robert O. Becker, Tarcher, 1991
• Qigong Meditation - Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming Qigong master/physicist's modern theory of Qi in the human body.
• The Theoretical Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Manfred Porkert, MIT Press, 1974 ISBN 0-262-16058-7
• Chee Soo, The Chinese Art of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Thorsons (1984) ISBN 0-85030-387-7.
• Da Liu, T'ai Chi Ch'uan and I Ching, Routledge & Kegan Paul, (1981) ISBN 0-7100-0848-1.
• Chinese Physical Culture: The Impact on Individuals MSc dissertation, document effect on health of Tai Chi practitioners.
• Ki in the Arts of Sex, Healing and Corporate Body Building Essays examining social and psychological aspects of ki as Japanese perceptions of "attention".
• Ki and the Powers of Japan Documentary script based on previous essays.

[edit] References