Understanding the Concept of Qi

By Professor Jerry Alan Johnson, PH.D, D.T.C.M. (China)

More than 5000 years ago, the ancient Chinese masters of esoteric healing came to the
understanding that everything is composed of the same energetic substance, which they called Qi
(pronounced
chee, and defined as breath or energy). These ancient masters
observed that there is a oneness and wholeness in all existence and that everything is energetically
interconnected as one body through Qi.
The most ancient character for Qi
appeared on the Shang Dynasty
(1600-1028 B.C.) oracle bones,
and on the Zhou Dynasty (1028221 B.C.) bronze inscriptions as
three horizontal lines. According
to Chinese medical researchers
Zhang Yu Huan and Ken Rose, in
their book, A Brief History of Qi,
Fig. 1: From the most ancient to modern Chinese characters
the most ancient Chinese
for "Qi."
character for Qi originally
depicted a mist that rises from
the Earth to form the clouds
(Figure 1). This ideographic form of Qi was retained until the early Western Zhou Dynasty (1066770 B.C.). The character was also used to indicate heat waves that rise from the heated surface of
the Earth and later used to describe exhaled breath that can be seen on a cold day.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is primarily based on understanding the transformations of Qi. The
ancient Chinese believed that all transformations happened under the influence of Qi, and that
within the human body, the Breath (Qi) gathered together to become Essence (Jing). The Essence is
then set into motion through heat and vibration and becomes Spirit (Shen).
In Daoist Alchemy, disciples are traditionally taught that when the Original Energy (Yuan Qi) is
radiant and still, it is called Spirit (Shen); as it flows into movement it is called Breath (Qi); as it
coagulates and condenses itself, it is called Essence (Jing). According to the Daodejing, within the
entire universe, there is but one Primordial Breath (Yuan Qi). It is from this inexhaustible reservoir,
that all things derive their existence.
The birth, aging and death of all things within Heaven and Earth, including wind, clouds, thunder,
rain, water, mountains, forests, deserts, oceans, humans, animals and insects are caused by and
formed out of Qi. Although energy may appear to take on many different forms, all things in nature
and, in fact, all things in the universe are intrinsically woven together so that we are, quite literally,
all symbiotically one with the universe through the system of Qi.
Qi is vibrating in constant energetic motion within all things.
It is the catalyst for everything to relate and interrelate within
the universe. The ancient Chinese believed that the Qi of Yin
Fig. 2: The body's Qi radiates from and Yang fills the Great Void (Wuji), enveloping all things
and leaving nothing outside its boundary.
the tissues in order to form the
external Wei Qi fields.
In modern times, the laws of physics have demonstrated that

matter and energy are interchangeable and that matter is simply another form of energy. Matter is
constantly vibrating in the form of particles or wave forms; it is constantly changing, either
affecting or interacting with energy. Energy is inherent in the living human body, and the human
body is sustained by energy (Figure 2).
The ancient Chinese mastered specific techniques to balance the bodys energy (Qi), in order to live
in harmony with the ever changing environmental (Earth Qi) and universal (Heaven Qi) energetic
fields. Chinese Energetic Medicine maintains that when living things start to lose their Qi, they lose
their vitality. An ancient Daoist saying states, Life comes into beginning because Qi is amassed;
when Qi is scattered, the person dies.
Qi is stored within the human body in the form of energetic pools, creating the energetic matrix of
the internal organs. From these internal pools, the bodys life-force energy flows in the form of
rivers and streams. These special energetic rivers and streams extend throughout the human body,
creating its various energetic vessels, channels, and collateral pathways.

Understanding the Concept of

Qi
Fig. 3: The Five Energetic Fields.
While the concept of Qi in Chinese Energetic
Medicine may seem complicated, it is actually
quite simple. Matter progresses to energy, and
energy progresses to spirit, and vice-versa. Qi is considered the medium, or bridge, between matter
and spirit.
Qi has mass, the same way that smoke or vapor has mass. Therefore, Qi as energy can manifest
within the human body through three primary levels:
Physically as Matter: At this level, Qi energetically manifests through the physical matrix or
sacred geometry (form) of a specific object (e.g., the construction of the bodys cells and tissues).
Within the human body, it manifests in the various forms of Essence, Marrow, Blood, and Body
Fluid.
Energetically as Resonant Vibrations: At this level, Qi energetically manifests through heat,
sound, light, and electromagnetic fields resonating within the physical matrix of a specific object.
Spiritually as Divine Light: At this level, Qi energetically manifests through subtle vibrations
which contain messages (i.e., thoughts and feelings) resonating within the specific objects
energetic field. Daoist priests teach that these energetic messages extend through infinite space
(Wuji) to the Dao (Figure 3).
Through observation and study, Chinese Qigong (Energy Skill) Masters discovered that each
internal organ within the human body has a different function and a different speed of energetic
vibration. By tracing the energetic pathways of Qi through each internal organ, and observing its
affect on bodily functions, the Chinese developed the basic theories upon which Traditional Chinese
Medical practice was founded. For thousands of years, Chinese Medicine has successfully cured
serious illnesses by stimulating the bodys Qi in very specific ways.
Through the study and practice of Medical Qigong, one can cultivate an awareness of internal
energy and its individual pathways, and can learn to influence and even control its subtle energetic
power. Medical Qigong Practitioners use these skills to heal and strengthen the immune system,
and to improve the function of various organ systems within the body. In the year 2000, China
Healthways International estimated that in Beijing alone more than 1.3 million people practiced
some form of Qigong every day; and in China as a whole, around 80 million people were practicing
some form of Qigong.

Endnotes:
This article was adapted from The Secret Teachings Of Chinese Energetic Medicine, Volume 1:
Energetic Anatomy and Physiology., The International Institute of Medical Qigong Publishing
House, 2014. This book is a revised and expanded new edition of Volume 1 of the Chinese Medical
Qigong Therapy five volume series.
Professor Jerry Alan Johnson is currently the author of twenty-one books and twenty-five DVDS.
These and his CDs may be found at www.qigongmedicine.com.