Qi

This article is about the Chinese principle. For the British comedy panel show, see QI. For other uses, see Qi (disambiguation).

Qi
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese氣
Simplified Chinese气
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinqì
Bopomofoㄑㄧˋ
Gwoyeu Romatzyhchih
Wade–Gilesch'i4
Tongyong Pinyincì
IPA[tɕʰî]
Wu
Romanizationqi
Hakka
Romanizationhi
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationhei
Jyutpinghei3
IPA[hej˧]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJkhì
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUCké
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinesekhjì
Old Chinese
Baxter–Sagart (2014)*C.qʰəp-s
Burmese name
Burmeseအသက်
IPA/ă.t̪ɛʔ/
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetkhí
Hán-Nôm氣
Thai name
Thaiลมปราณ
RTGSlompran
Korean name
Hangul기
Hanja氣
Transcriptions
Revised Romanizationgi
McCune–Reischauerki
Mongolian name
Mongolian Cyrillicхийг
Mongolian scriptᠬᠡᠢ ᠶᠢ
Transcriptions
SASM/GNCkhiig
Japanese name
Kanji気
Transcriptions
Romanizationki
Malay name
Malaychi (چي)
Indonesian name
Indonesianchi
Filipino name
Tagaloggi
Lao name
Laoຊີວິດ
Khmer name
Khmerឈី
Tetum name
Tetumqi
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Chinese folk religion
Stylisation of the 禄 lù or 子 zi grapheme, respectively meaning "prosperity", "furthering", "welfare" and "son", "offspring". 字 zì, meaning "word" and "symbol", is a cognate of 子 zi and represents a "son" enshrined under a "roof". The symbol is ultimately a representation of the north celestial pole (Běijí 北极) and its spinning constellations, and as such it is equivalent to the Eurasian symbol of the swastika, 卍 wàn.
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Devotional traditions:

Zhenkong, "Void of Truth".
Zhenkong, "Void of Truth".

Salvation churches and sects:

Confucian churches and sects:

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In the Sinosphere, qi (/ˈtʃiː/ CHEE)[note 1] is traditionally believed to be a vital force part of all living entities. Literally meaning 'vapor', 'air', or 'breath',[2] the word qi is polysemous, often translated as 'vital energy', 'vital force', 'material energy', or simply 'energy'.[3] Qi is also a concept in traditional Chinese medicine and in Chinese martial arts. The attempt to cultivate and balance qi is called qigong.

Believers in qi describe it as a vital force, with one's good health requiring its flow to be unimpeded. Qi is a pseudoscientific concept,[4][failed verification][5] and does not correspond to the concept of energy as used in the physical sciences,[6][7][8] with the notion of vital force itself being abandoned by the scientific community.[9]

Chinese gods and immortals, especially anthropomorphic gods, are sometimes thought to have qi and be a reflection of the microcosm of qi in humans, both having qi that can concentrate in certain body parts.[10]

  1. ^ "Qi". Encyclopedia Britannica. 22 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Vapor": Cheng 2003, p. 615; 'air': Cheng 2003, p. 615; 'breath': Barrett 1991, p. 296, Lloyd, Zhao & Dong 2018, pp. 92, 138.
  3. ^ 'Vital energy': Lloyd & Sivin 2002, p. 9, Cheng 2003, p. 615, Liu 2015, pp. 258, 267, 270, 349, 402, 474, Wang, Bao & Guan 2020; 'vital force': Cheng 2003, p. 615, Liu 2015, pp. 205, 216, 422, 485; 'material energy': Perkins 2013, p. 404; 'energy': Lloyd, Zhao & Dong 2018, pp. 13, 138.
  4. ^ Lee, M. S.; Pittler, M. H.; Ernst, E. (1 June 2008). "Effects of reiki in clinical practice: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials". International Journal of Clinical Practice. 62 (6): 947–954. doi:10.1111/j.1742-1241.2008.01729.x. ISSN 1742-1241. PMID 18410352. S2CID 25832830.
  5. ^ Dunning, Brian. "Skeptoid #411: Your Body's Alleged Energy Fields". Skeptoid. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  6. ^ Shermer, Michael (July 2005). "Full of Holes: the curious case of acupuncture". Scientific American. 293 (2): 30. Bibcode:2005SciAm.293b..30S. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0805-30. PMID 16053133.
  7. ^ Stenger, Victor J. (June 1998). "Reality Check: the energy fields of life". Skeptical Briefs. Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 25 December 2007. "Despite complete scientific rejection, the concept of a special biological fields within living things remains deeply engraved in human thinking. It is now working its way into modern health care systems, as non-scientific alternative therapies become increasingly popular. From acupuncture to homeopathy and therapeutic touch, the claim is made that healing can be brought about by the proper adjustment of a person's or animal's 'bioenergetic fields.'"
  8. ^ "Traditional Medicine and Pseudoscience in China: A Report of the Second CSICOP Delegation (Part 2)". CSICOP. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  9. ^ Williams, Elizabeth Ann (2003). A Cultural History of Medical Vitalism in Enlightenment Montpellier. Ashgate. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7546-0881-3.
  10. ^ Salamone, Frank A. (2004). Levinson, David (ed.). Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals. New York: Routledge. p. 225. ISBN 0-415-94180-6.


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