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Word file #004Here to stayBig ideas

What does qi mean?

气qì

Say itCHEE/tʃiː/noun

Character by character
  1. 气qìair, breath

In traditional Chinese thought, a life force or vital energy believed to flow through the body and through all things.

Written by the Second Language TeamWritten

Qi is the life force or vital energy that traditional Chinese thought says flows through the body and through all things. Merriam-Webster describes it as energy “held to” animate the body. It says the idea is central to some Eastern medical treatments, such as acupuncture, and to exercise and self-defense, such as tai chi [2]. You meet the word in Chinese medicine, qigong, martial arts films, and feng shui. It also appears in fantasy novels and games set in China, where heroes spend whole books gathering qi to grow stronger.

English speakers say CHEE. You will also see it spelled chi or ch’i, and Merriam-Webster lists the word under chi [2]. In Mandarin it is 气 qì, written 氣 in traditional characters [3]. In pinyin, q sounds close to English “ch.” Qì has a falling fourth tone, so it sounds like a short, firm “CHEE!”, as if you were stating a fact. In English, qi is a neutral word. You can use it with a doctor, a tai chi teacher, or a friend.

Word stats

Known in English
Many people know it from tai chi, acupuncture, or fantasy games, often spelled chi. Scrabble players know it best of all: a Q with no U.
Said in China today
Chinese speakers say 气 all day, but mostly for air, weather, and anger. The life-force sense lives on in Chinese medicine and qigong.
Polite
A neutral word that is fine anywhere, from a doctor’s office to a martial arts class.
Freshness
About as many people look it up as last year. Qi stays calm and steady, as good qi should.

Spotted in the wild

Group chat · Saturday, 11:40 am
  1. Priyafirst tai chi class done. teacher says my qi is stuck in my shoulders
  2. Youor your shoulders are stuck from 40 hours a week at a laptop
  3. Priyahonestly she said both

What it means here: Qi is the life energy the teacher believes flows through the body; “stuck” qi means it is not moving freely.

Comments under a fantasy web novel chapter
  1. Leo200 chapters and he finally has enough qi to fly
  2. Miaand he still trips on stairs
  3. Leoflying takes qi. stairs take skill

What it means here: In fantasy stories set in China, qi is the inner power a character gathers and trains to become stronger.

Text with a friend · Sunday, 9:05 pm
  1. Weilost to my cousin at mahjong again. my aunt just texted 别生气
  2. Youwait, is that the qi from your tai chi class?
  3. Weisame character lol. but here it just means don’t get mad
  4. Youso, calm your qi

What it means here: 别生气 (bié shēngqì, literally “don’t grow qi”) means “don’t get angry”; in everyday Chinese, 气 often means anger, not the life force.

How to use it

  • someone’s qiThe acupuncturist said my qi was weak after the long winter.
  • qi flows / qi is blockedIn Chinese medicine, pain is often explained as blocked qi.
  • balance / restore qiShe does qigong every morning to keep her qi balanced.
  • gather / cultivate qi (in fantasy)The hero spends the first book learning to cultivate qi.

Don’t say it like this

  • Sounds off“KWEE” or “KEE”

    Say this“CHEE”

    In pinyin, the letter q sounds close to English “ch,” so qi rhymes with “see.”

  • Sounds offThe chi in tai chi means life energy.

    Say thisThe chi in tai chi is 极 jí, “ultimate”; qi is 气 qì.

    Tai chi is 太极 tàijí. Its “chi” is a different word that only looks the same in English.

  • Sounds offScientists have measured how much qi I have.

    Say thisIn Chinese medicine, qi is believed to flow through the body.

    Dictionaries describe qi as an energy that is held to exist in traditional thought, not one that science has measured.

  • Sounds offThe ancient Qi state was named after life energy.

    Say thisThe ancient Qi state is 齐 qí, a different character.

    The state and dynasty called Qi use 齐 (traditional 齊), with a rising second tone. It has nothing to do with 气.

qi or not?

Is each of these qi? Pick an answer to find out.

  1. An acupuncturist says the needles help energy move along channels in your body.

  2. A tai chi teacher asks you to breathe slowly and feel energy moving down to your belly.

  3. A chemistry teacher explains how gases expand when they get hot.

  4. The weather app says it will rain all weekend.

The qi family

  • kiThe Japanese word for the same idea, written 気.Same energy, one more trip across the sea. You hear it in aikido.
  • qigong 气功Slow movement and breathing exercises meant to train and move qi.Literally “qi work.” Fewer flying heroes than the novels promise.
  • tai chi 太极A slow Chinese martial art, often practiced for health.It sounds like a cousin of qi, but its “chi” is a different word. They just share a gym.

Where it came from

  1. 1850Qi appears in English. The Oxford English Dictionary’s earliest example is from 1850, in the Chinese Repository, an English-language journal printed in China. Merriam-Webster also dates the “vital energy” sense of chi to 1850 [1][2].
  2. TodayQi, chi, and ch’i all appear in English. You see them in wellness and martial arts, and more and more in fantasy fiction and games set in China.

Qi in English vs. 气 in Chinese

English borrowed only one meaning of 气: the life force. In Chinese, 气 is an everyday word. Its basic meaning is air or breath [2], and it can also mean gas. It also appears in many common words that have nothing to do with energy in the body:

ChinesePinyinMeaning
空气kōngqìair
天气tiānqìweather
气味qìwèismell
生气shēngqìto get angry
气功qìgōngqigong, breathing and movement exercises

So when a Chinese speaker says 气, they are usually talking about the air, the weather, or someone being angry. The life-force sense is still alive in Chinese medicine and qigong, but it is only one use among many.

The character has two forms. Mainland China uses the simplified 气, while Taiwan and Hong Kong use the traditional 氣. Japanese writes 気 and says it ki [3]. Wiktionary explains 氣 as a sound-plus-meaning character: 气 gives the sound, and 米 (“rice”) gives the meaning. It adds that 气 on its own was once a picture of clouds moving across the sky. You may read that 氣 shows steam rising from cooking rice. That story is popular, but it is not the explanation Wiktionary gives [3].

The three English spellings come from two ways of writing Chinese in Latin letters. Qi is pinyin, the system used in mainland China today. Ch’i is the older Wade-Giles spelling, and chi is the same spelling without the apostrophe [3]. They are one word.

One trap: the “chi” in tai chi is not this word. Tai chi is 太极 tàijí, and its “chi” is 极 jí, “extreme” or “ultimate.” The two only look the same in English.

Sources

  1. qi, n. meanings, etymology and moreOxford English Dictionary
  2. Chi (noun 2; variants ch'i, qi) Definition & MeaningMerriam-Webster
  3. 氣 - Wiktionary, the free dictionaryWiktionary

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Put some qi into your Chinese

Second Language is a pixel-art RPG where you learn Chinese by talking to characters and finishing quests, from 气 to 生气. The intro course is free to play.

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