chi

The vital force believed in Taoism and other Chinese thought to be inherent in all things. The unimpeded circulation of chi and a balance of its negative and positive forms in the body are held to be essential to good health in traditional Chinese medicine.

[Chinese (Mandarin) qì, air, spirit, energy of life.]

Western monotheistic religions tend to visualize a God "out there" or "up there," with whom humans respond, communicate, and live to please. Chinese religious traditions may worship God or, more frequently, gods, but in terms of day-to-day life, more emphasis is given to "balance." Ch'i is life force, the essence of what it is to be human. To be content, yin and yang, feminine and masculine principles, must be balanced and in harmony. Sometimes, as in Daoism and Confucianism, this balance is brought about through meditation and spiritual exercises. At other times the flow of ch'i is aided by acupuncture or herbal combinations (See Chakras).

Sources: Ellwood, Robert S., and Barbara A. McGraw. Many Peoples, Many Faiths. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.

(Also, ch'i. Chinese, breath, vital spirit, force). The vital force, in particular as it is expressed in the combination of passive and active principles (yin and yang). In some Chinese philosophy chi plays something of the role of Aristotelian form, being what distinguishes and individuates particular things, and what is lost with the death or dissolution of anything. In Confucianism it also refers to whatever is material or corporeal. Chi is frequently opposed to li or principle.

A Chinese term for life energy or spirit (Japanese ki), comparable with the Hindu yoga term prana. Although deriving from the breath, ch'i, like prana, is transformed by the metabolism into subtle vitality that follows certain channels in the body, and it is related to the state of health of an individual. In the recently revived ancient Chinese systems of acupuncture and acupressure, these subtle energy flows are modified by inserting needles or by specific pressures at certain body points, resulting in improved health or the alleviation of physical disorders.

In the Asian system of martial arts, ch'i is directed by will-power to specific points of the body, resulting in apparently paranormal feats of strength and control.

Sources:

Palos, Stephan. The Chinese Art of Healing. New York: Herde-rand Herder, 1971.

Tohei, Koichi. The Book of Ki: Coordinating Mind and Body in Daily Life. San Francisco: Japan Publications, 1978.