No discussion of Chinese medicine is complete without answering the question of “What is Qi?” This question may prove to be as difficult to answer as “What is Chinese medicine?” The reason is, in part, due to western misalignment of the word to focus on a pseudo-spiritual understanding of its meaning. It has become largely lumped into a New-Age category where it is described as simply “energy.” Interestingly, there are times and unique circumstances in which this definition suffices. However, this as the “only meaning” of the word limits its functionality within a medical understanding. 

 

It is also important to note, that in medical texts, the word is not typically translated into English, due to the difficulty in constructing an accurate translation. This is partly to separate it from non-medical uses of the word and partly because there are many specific types of Qi within the context of the medical systems physiology. 

 

That being said,  a common translation for the word in modern Chinese language is  “air” or “breath.” When we think of what energy is and we think of what breath is it is not a leap to think of being alive, and so in some ways it may be useful to think about Qi as the activity that initiates and sustains life. A concept that semi-works as western comparative is metabolism. In so far as metabolism is the body's processing of food and air into everything it creates and uses to “run itself.” In Chinese medicine Qi is the catalyst and substance that is initiating and creating life activity and building the material tissues it is operating with.

 

Suffice it to say, Qi is certainly pivotal to the understanding of Chinese medicine because it is one of the fundamental substances that is invoked or tempered by medical means (acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, etc.). It is circulating and manifests within the body; inside acupuncture channels, inside the organs, and indeed inside all of one’s tissues. 

 

Qi has a functional relationship with the tissues of the body. So if it is weak, the functioning of the specific tissue may be diminished. On the other hand if the Qi is not moving properly within the body (e.g. it is stuck), this also has a functional aspect on the affected tissues. In either case, the inadequate or improperly moving Qi results in disease. Because of this, the main focus of intervention on the part of a practitioner of Chinese medicine is to ensure that there is adequate Qi and that it is appropriately circulating within the body.