It is likely that as you have been introduced to Chinese medicine, or any other aspect of Chinese culture you have now heard, or read the word qi. This word is also written and chi, using Wade-Giles, which is an alternative and less commonly used form of transliteration. I would also not be surprised if you’ve heard it defined as energy or life force. While this definition certainly isn’t incorrect, given the central roll of qi in our health, the practice of our medicine, and our every day lives, its meaning deserves further elaboration and understanding.
Let us start with its traditional or historical Chinese character, 氣. This character has been written in many different ways throughout history. The simplified, or modern writing of this word is, 气.
Within the complex or historical character you will notice an asterisk-like component, 米. This character is mi, which means rice. However, in this character it does not just mean rice, it is meant to depict the steam that rises from rice as it cooks. This is crucial to our understanding of qi, as it gives life and motion to an otherwise static concept. Everyone has a relationship with this visual, and you might even be able to imagine this warm mist on your hand.
You might have been lucky enough to participate in a demonstration aimed at validating this metaphysical and enigmatic force. One such demonstration involves simply rubbing your hands together and subsequently waving the fingers of one hand across the palm of the other without touching the two together. Odds are, you could feel the presence of your other hand without the two touching! At that moment you were told that you have just experienced 气. What you were not told is that you were already experiencing qi as you rubbed your hands together, as you heard the instructors voice via sound waves in the air, and through your feet as they were planted on the floor. What I mean to say is that qi is not a reserved and isolated occurrence, qi is perception, and in this article I will go on to explain that qi is based on relationships.
I remember the first time I heard Jeffery Yuen mention that qi is based on relationships. It took me a while to understand what he meant by this. While some would say that qi is a “pseudo-scientific, unverified concept”, others have attempted to verify the existence of qi via the measurable changes of various energetic waveforms such as infrared while performing qi gong. I would equate this to filling the gas tank of your car to fuel your search for the myth of petroleum…what an inquisitive gesture. My problem isn’t with the quest to further our understanding of the quantitative nature of qi; rather it is with questioning its existence in the first place without fully understanding what it is. As an analogy, we all can agree that examining the chemical composition of water was necessary; however, looking into whether water exists in the first place is obviously unnecessary. The idea of qi as relationships is already evident in our modern understanding of the various forms of energy. Chemical, electric, kinetic, potential, and thermal energy are dependent upon relationships. For example, chemical energy is dependent upon multiple atoms, chemicals, or molecules to interact in order to facilitate a chemical reaction. Potential energy is dependent upon the gravitational force between to objects. Ultimately, defining qi as energy relies upon acknowledging that energy is produced from relationships.
Shifting to the macrocosm, or bigger picture. What is the clinical relevance here? Why would you care about qi as a patient of this medicine? Nikola Tesla was quoted saying “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”. Once we acknowledge the role that energy, and more importantly the role relationships play in our lives, we become empowered with the awareness of qi. I would argue that the basic goal of practicing qi gong is to maximize your relationship with the world around you, and within you. Clinically, I know that the acupuncture points that I have used the most on myself and others, that I have read the most about, that I have contemplated the symbolism of, and that I have developed a strong relationship to, are the ones with which I have cultivated qi. As a patient, qi is one of the five substances of your body, along with blood, essence, thin and thick fluids, and the spirit. This concept is not unlike the western scientific view that we are almost entirely composed of only six elements, those being oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. This substance, the steam rising from the cooking rice is the intermediary between our very substantial essence (who we are), and our very insubstantial spirit (our consciousness), all three of which come together to from what we refer to as the three treasures. Sound important? As we bring awareness to the various relationships in our lives, whether that be to our emotions, our thoughts, our family and friends, our personal preferences, and the sensations within our body, we are not just practicing qi gong, we are identifying the contributing factors to who we are, and consequently how we bring about a state of either illness or health. When we are aware of these factors, we become aware of our destiny, and gain control our lives.
