What is “Qi”?

Now that circulation is understood, let’s address the elephant in the room — the word “Qi”.

Photo by Jade Lee on Unsplash

“The Chinese call that life force chi - essence- from the steam that floats off just-cooked rice." - Slow Medicine by Victoria Sweet M.D.

The word “Qi” or “Chi” is often associated with explanations of Chinese medicine. But it is limited by cultural context. In Asia, most people understand Qi because it is part of their cultural upbringing.

Qi “氣” is the movement of circulation through the body, the energy flow. The Chinese character for that also means “air” so they understood it as circulation of air and everything else in the bloodstream creating that energy flow/distribution throughout the body.

It is important to understand the concept of circulation before you can understand what Qi is.

“Qi” is not linear. It is a vector in some sense. It has both direction and strength. It has very specific pathways that it runs through. It is dynamic.

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