Meaning & use
qi
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
In Chinese thought and medicine, the life force believed to move through the body and the natural world and to affect health.
Grammar: No plural and no article: strengthen your qi, not a qi.
Patterns
- the flow of qi
- balance your qi
The teacher said that tai chi helps the qi move freely through the body.
Acupuncture aims to restore the balanced flow of qi.
In feng shui, a cluttered hallway is thought to block qi.
Common combinations
- the flow of qi
- Practitioners believe illness comes from a blocked flow of qi.
- balance qi
- Certain breathing exercises are said to balance qi.
- cultivate qi
- Monks practice slow movements to cultivate qi.
- qi gong
- Her grandfather did qi gong in the park each morning.
- vital qi
- A healer talked about restoring vital qi after illness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chi
- Chi is an older spelling of the same word and is still common in tai chi, while qi follows the modern pinyin system.
- life force
- Life force is a general English phrase for any animating energy, whereas qi belongs specifically to Chinese tradition.
- energy
- Energy is the everyday word, but qi names a specific concept that science does not measure.
Word family
- qigong noun
- a practice of breathing and movement to cultivate qi
Commonly confused: qi or chi?
qi vs chi
Chi is the older spelling of qi, and it is also the Greek letter, so check the context.
Practice
Which tradition most closely uses the word qi?
Choose one answer.
Qi is the vital energy in Chinese medicine and philosophy. The other traditions do not use the concept.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “qi”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.