YeYoung, Bing
(Editor/Translator: LiteratiTradition)

http://www.literati-tradition.com/qi_breath.html
YeYoung Culture Studies (2007)

Recommended w/reservation

The author's main objective in this article is to explain the fundamental Chinese philosophical concept of qi (or ch'i). The author notes that only in recent decades has qi been introduced to the West, as the practice of Qi Gong and martial arts have gained popularity. Still, qi has rarely been studied it in Western academic circles, and thus defining the term is relevant.

In order to go about describing qi, the author seeks out the definitions of those who have attempted to explain the concept before. Benjamin Schwartz, the author notes, keeps the term qi untranslated but "suggest qi as the closest approximation of the Western concept of 'matter.'" Another interpretation the author cites comes from Zhuangzi, who says "When man is born, his qi is gathered. When his qi is gathered, his life thrives. When his qi is dispersed, his life dies out." Confucius describes qi in a similar manner, speaking of it as the source of one's emotional tendencies: "In youth, one's blood and qi are not yet settled, one guards against lust. Having reached maturity, one's blood and qi is firm, one guards against aggressiveness. Having reached old age, one's blood and qi are in decline, one guards against avarice."

Though YeYoung lists many thinkers' definitions of qi, he does not present his own interpretation of the concept until the final paragraph of the article:

"The concept of qi then is the primal energy underlying all matter, molded as cloud vapor and breath. It gives life to living beings. Qi gives us vital energy of the heart/mind, which controls our thoughts and emotions, and moral sensibilities and our body and physical activities."

While this definition appears accurate and fair after reading through the article, one might wonder why he did not make such a claim earlier. Organizationally, such a move would have made sense. Because of this, the reader has no basis (from the beginning) of what qi is, and the article often seems muddled with unorganized information pertaining to the concept. Though qi is an arguably undefinable term by Western standards, its essence is not explained early enough for this article to make much sense until the concluding paragraph. Still, this article is relevant to the study of martial arts, as qi serves as a major philosophical component to many Chinese, Korean, and Japanese martial art forms.

Annotated by: Bryan Rochelle (March 2007)

Martial Arts: Iaido | Judo | Karate | Kendo |

Topics: instruction | philosophy | other topic: qi