What is Qi (Chi)? Easy Guide to TCM’s Most Important Concepts

You know Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a lot of unique terms and concepts, one of them being Qi/Chi (pronounced ‘Chee’).

But, what is Qi?

For the ancient Chinese, Qi is a concept that reflects the elemental building block of the universe. For them, it is the pulsation of the cosmos itself. Everything is made out of Qi and gets its functions because of its Qi. Qi reflects an intermediate state between matter and energy and fluctuates between both.

Many people call it the vital energy, the life force, very poetic but rather inaccurate. This is a term that was most likely made popular with the old martial arts movies where Shaolin monks harnessed their Qi to perform amazing feats.

Besides, it is a pretty complicated concept to explain to someone who is not familiar with Chinese culture and thought.

However, there is more to Qi than just ‘energy’.

Stick around and you will learn not only what is meant with Qi but also how it works and how it creates and maintains your body.

In our body, all of our organs are made out of Qi and perform their functions because of the type of Qi they have, i.e. the Lung Network has its unique features and functions because of its ‘Lung Qi’, and so on with the rest of our body and mind.

Yes, because even our thoughts are Qi and are influenced by Qi. In Traditional Chinese Medicine there is no separation between mind and body like in Western medicine.

What happens in the body affects the mind and what happens in the mind affects the body.

The adequate flow of Qi through our bodies is a prerequisite for good health. Any impairment to its flow will result in illness.

The term Qi has also similarities with terms like Prana in Ayurvedic medicine and Pneuma from the Ancient Greeks.

What is Qi (Chi)?

As noted before, Qi is the elemental building block of the universe. The word Qi itself (氣 in traditional Chinese, and 气 in simplified Chinese) has many meanings like breath, mist, and energy. The Chinese dictionary Han Yu Da Zi Duan lists no less than 23 meanings for Qi.

But, what is the meaning we use in Traditional Chinese Medicine?

To be able to understand it, we must try and understand the Chinese way of thought. One of the best summaries comes from Ted J. Kaptchuk in his book ‘The Web That Has No Weaver’. Here is an excerpt:

The notion of Qi is as fundamental to Chinese culture and medical thought as Yin and Yang. Like these polar complementary opposites, no one English word or phrase can adequately capture Qi’s meaning. One can say that, for the Chinese, everything in the universe, inorganic and organic, is composed of and defined by its Qi. Mountains, plants, and human emotions all have Qi. Qi is not so much a force added to lifeless matter but the state of being of any phenomena. For the Chinese, Qi is the pulsation of the cosmos itself.

Qi is not some primordial, immutable material, nor is it merely vital energy, although the word is occasionally so translated. Chinese thought does not easily distinguish between matter and energy. We might think that Qi is somewhere in between, a kind of matter on the verge of becoming energy, or energy at the point of materializing. But it is far beyond this simple attempt to bridge the chasm of a Western dichotomy.

Ted J. Kaptchuk, The Web that Has No Weaver.

Hence the need to fully understand Chinese concepts if we want to understand Chinese Medicine and not ‘westernize it’.

Qi is defined in this book as a Texture, which can mean an ingredient of human life. Qi is one of the Textures of the human body along with Essence, Blood, Fluids, and Spirit.

Read also: Basic Theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine – Beginners guide

That’s why I always say: Qi is not ‘vital energy’, nor ‘energy’, nor ‘life force’. Qi is Qi. (What a discovery, right?)

You have to comprehend it or you will not fully understand it.

How does Qi work

Now that we know what is Qi it’s time to know how it works.

Qi is not a static entity but a dynamic one. Even though our bodies are made of Qi, Qi never stops flowing. We gather and exchange Qi with our surrounding nature. Gives you a hint to the prescientific explanation of the replacement of cells in our bodies.

Here’s how it works:

Our body gathers Qi from two main sources: food and breathing. The Qi from food mixes with the Qi from the air and creates the true Qi that nourishes our bodies (the process is more complicated than that but this is the main idea).

Once inside our bodies, the Qi divides itself and forms the different types of Qi that go through our bodies.

Qi has many functions like:

• Structure: Given that everything is made with Qi, all our organs need Qi to have integrity of their structures. If you have a deficiency or a collapsed Qi you can experiment symptoms like prolapse.
• Function: Qi is most commonly linked to its functional aspect. A healthy body is one that its organs function properly, damage to your Qi will have a direct impact on your organs functions. That why you often hear Deficient Kidney Qi for example.
• Defense: One part of your Qi is located in your skin and its function is to protect you from external pathogenic factors like cold, wind, and dampness. When you are being attacked, your Defensive Qi will protect you, you may experience a slight fever because of this.
• Energy: Although it is not the whole of it, the energetic side is really important. It translates as both your overall energy levels as well as the organs energy levels.
• Nourishing: Qi also nourishes the organs and your whole body making sure you have all needs met.

Resonance

Resonance is not often talked about in Traditional Chinese Medicine articles but it is important because it explains the mechanism of interaction between different Qi.

Resonance/gan ying is the method upon which one or several Qi exert influence over each other to create change. Qi does not cause changes by itself but rather by the resonance with other Qi. The result is a new Qi that was already ‘inside’ the old Qi.

This is also rooted in Taoism and Yin Yang philosophy where the law of intertransformation applies (Yin can generate Yang and vice versa).

Let’s look at some examples:

• The Qi from the Spleen resonates with the Qi from the food to extract the nutritive Qi that will be mixed with the Qi from the air.
• The Qi from the rain, the soil, and the seed resonate and cause the seed to blossom.

The Qi of the seed cannot turn into a rock, obviously, because the Qi that was already ‘inside’ was the blossom Qi.

As said in The Web that Has no Weaver:

While change is primarily internal, forms of being can influence other forms of being. Things “evoke” change in other things. For the Chinese, this kind of “causing” or “inductance,” however, is not because of an external compulsion. Things influence other things because they “connect” or “elicit” what is already a “disposition” in things. This ability for one thing to influence another is called in Chinese gan ying, which is usually translated “resonance.” If Qi is the link, resonance is the method.

The Qi of the sun, rain, and soil resonate with the Qi of the seed to bring forth a plant that already contains the germ of the plant and qualities that the sun, rain, and soil touch. Anger can be an aggressive awareness of another person; self-reflection can foster the “same” Qi of awareness to manifest as a benevolent concern for the other. The Qi of illness can be transformed into healthy Qi by a medicine that resonates between the two particular states. Illness contains the seed of health. Resonance is the process “by which a thing, when stimulated, spontaneously responds according to the natural guidelines of the particular phases of vital energy engendered in itself and active in the situation.” The Qi does not “cause” change; the Qi is present before, during, and after the transformation. One Qi elicits the propensity of another Qi that shares a similar kind of “frequency.” Things “energize” each other. Through resonance, one Qi evokes another.

Types of Qi

Did you know there is more than one Qi?

Yes, although it is the same, Qi is divided into different types depending on its functions. Here are they:

• Yuan Qi (Primordial Qi): This one is closely linked to the Essence. Is stored in the Kidneys and is the one we start with at birth. Is inherited from the parents.
• Kong Qi (Natural Air Qi): Is extracted by the Lungs from the air we breathe.
• Gu Qi (Food Qi): The Qi that is extracted from the food but not usable yet. It must be combined with the Qi from the air to create True Qi.
• Zong Qi (Gathering Qi): It is also called Sea of Qi, it is the Pectoral Qi, it is the result of the interaction between Food Qi and Air Qi. A more refined Qi than the Food Qi.
• Zhen Qi (True Qi): It is the result of the Interaction between the Primordial Qi and the Gathering Qi. It then divides itself into Nutritive and Defensive Qi.
• Ying Qi (Nutritive Qi): Is the one in charge of nourishing the Zhang Fu organs and the body.
• Wei Qi (Defensive Qi): Is the one in charge of protecting your body from external pathogenic factors.
• King-luo-Zhi-Qi (Meridian Qi): Meridians are a unique and crucial part of Chinese medical theory. They are the channels or pathways through which Qi flows among the Organs and various bodily parts.
• Zhang-Fu-Zhi-Qi (Organ Qi): The major functions of any Organ are referred to in terms of that Organ’s Qi. Every Organ is conceived of as having its own Qi.

As you can see, the different classifications of Qi are based upon the state of transformation and the functions it performs rather than the nature of it.

Disturbances of Chi

Qi can also have disturbances that provoke the onset of illnesses. These disturbances have three main classifications: Deficiency, Stagnation, and Rebellion.

Qi Deficiency

Qi is insufficient to perform any of its functions. If Deficient Qi affects the whole person, symptoms might include lethargy and exhaustion. Deficient Qi may also describe a particular Organ unable to perform its functions.

Collapsed Qi is another category of Qi Deficiency which means that the Qi is so insufficient that it can’t even hold the organs in Place.

Stagnant Qi

In this disturbance, there is an impairment to the normal movement of Qi. Qi does not flow through the body smoothly. It can cause pain in the limbs and can even cause the impairment of organs.

Rebellious Qi

This disturbance is a subcategory of Stagnation. In this case, the Qi flows contrary to its natural direction. For example, the Stomach Qi’s natural direction is downwards. However, if the Qi is rebellious it can go upwards and cause vomiting.

How to strengthen your Qi

Now on to the medical side. How can you strengthen your Qi?

There are several herbal formulas and individual herbs that will tonify your Qi and strengthen it. Herbs like Ginseng are the go-to choice for tonifying Qi. Other options are Astragalus and Black Dates.

You can also use Acupuncture for tonifying your Qi. Points like Stomach 36 (Zusanli) and Large Intestine 4 (Hegu) are commonly used for this purpose.

The third option is to use Qi Gong (Chi Kung) exercises to strengthen your Qi. Qi Gong means ‘Chi work’ and can be better translated as ‘Chi harnessing’. Those are a series of exercises that combine gymnastics and breathwork to strengthen your Qi and boost your health.

If you are interested in Qi Gong you can check my Curated Qi Gong gallery in this article.

Can you see Qi?

Acupuncture is a living and stubborn challenge to established “scientific” knowledge. Its roots are at least four thousand years old, and it is based on a philosophy and view of the body-mind that is entirely different from modern views. It is a total anachronism but it refuses to disappear. If Qi and channels really exist, then modern “scientific” views of the body-mind clearly need to be revised.

GIOVANNI MACIOCIA

Glad you asked because I’m about to show you something cool.

You can see the movement of Qi and the Meridian Channels in your body using the right equipment.

Here is a picture of the Large Intestine Meridian. Can’t get more explicit than that:

One of the most impressive records of the presence of Qi and the meridians in your body is a picture taken of a person who had been injected with a radioactive isotope in an acupuncture point and the isotope drew the path of the meridian.

Some other ways are presumed to be able to show the presence of the Meridians like Kirlian photography.

In his book Invisible Rainbow: A Physicist’s Introduction to the Science Behind Classical Chinese Medicine, the author shows a Picture of Kirlian photograph of someone with a gut issue at the moment and the photograph shows a lack of electrical activity (and therefore no image) on the tip of the person’s index finger which coincides with the beginning of the Large Intestine Channel.

Final thoughts

Qi is a term that has to be studied in depth to being able to grasp its extent. While many people still refer to it as vital energy and some more deny its presence, now you know that there is more to Qi than just energy and you have seen the meridians as shown by modern scientific methods.

Hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any thoughts please leave a comment.

See you in the next post!