Different Kinds of Qi
Qi is qi, no matter which way you look at it, but there are different functions that qi performs that is distinct. Just like steam, water, and ice are all the same, just in different states of being, all serving an equally important function to sustain life. If there were no steam (evaporation) there would be no rain and no flowing water. And without ice, there would be no snowpack and glaciers at the poles to make the currents of the ocean that keeps the planets weather suitable for life as we know it to be sustained. Qi has many ways it manifests. Here are some of the most general kinds of qi with their technical terms. In Chinese, they have a single term, and in English they have several translations, which are listed here together. It is easy to start to get confused when there are so many names to the same idea.
Each of qi listed here from different masters and doctors will have a different idea of what each of these are, so it can be confusing to many westerners because there isn’t a unifying dictionary definition. These are a starting point for those who are interested.
These terms are actually known, but hard to come by. I researched many books on the specific subjects and realized for most people qi in its variety of forms are still just qi. However, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the writings on qi can be very useful in understanding how we live.
Yuan Qi 元气:Original Qi or Primordial Qi
Original qi is the qi that is the source of all the different kinds of qi. It is the essence of life of the universe before the qi started to separate into yin qi and yang qi. The concept seems very similar to the idea of the Dao.
Zheng Qi 正气: Pure Qi or True Qi
Zheng qi is basically postnatal qi that we use with eating, drinking and breathing. This qi is a “booster” to all the other qi to maintain our health by working closely with Nutritive Qi and Protective Qi. It is a combination of all the different kinds of qi, but is distinct because of the combination. Eating a good diet, practicing qi gong and basic healthy living strengthens our Zheng Qi.
Wei Qi 卫气: Protective Qi or Guard Qi or Defensive Qi
As its name says, it protects us. This qi helps protect us from pathogens/germs/viruses. It is controlled by the lungs and its qi. It regulates sweat glands and protects the skin and hair. (If you look at the 5 Element Chart you can see how the lungs and the skin and hair are connected.) It travels between the skin and muscles. During the seasons the protection varies. During the summer it is stronger and during the winter it becomes weaker. Therefore, during winter we need to layer our clothing.
Zang Fu Qi 脏腑气: Organ Qi
This kind of qi is how our organs function. Zang Fu organs, as part of the 5 Elements, are the yin/yang organs which regulate different emotions, actions of qi, parts of the body such as the skin/hair or the bones. (See the 5 Element Chart). As for their qi is concerned, it is the function of the qi in an organ that makes Zang Fu Qi different than other kinds of qi. This means that the qi in the spleen has a different role to play than the lungs or the stomach.
Jing Luo Qi 经络气: Meridian Qi or Channel Qi
Meridian Qi flows through the meridians. This is their function. The “ordinary channels” connect to their corresponding organ, but since the meridian qi has a different function, its nature is different. The “extra-ordinary” channels have their own nature which is different than the “ordinary channels”.
Ying Qi 营養气: Nutritive Qi
Nutritive Qi flows in the blood vessels. The nature of this qi is to transform the food (nutrients) into nourishment for the blood to absorb for the sustenance of the cells and the organs.
Zong Qi宗气: Gathering Qi or Qi of the Chest or Ancestral Qi or Pectoral Qi
This qi is stored in the chest. It aids the lungs breathe and circulate qi through the body and also aids the heart in circulating the blood through the vessels.
Gu Qi 骨气: Food Qi or Grain Qi
.In English, the name really says it all. Though in Chinese 骨 translates as bones. It comes from the food and fluids we drink. This qi is something we cannot do without. We must eat and drink just to live. Technically speaking, we can survive for a little while without gu qi, but we will be draining our Yuan Qi which is
De Qi得气:Acquired Qi or Obtaining Qi
Linguistically, it is a verb, an action of the general term of qi. In acupuncture it is the qi that one feels that stimulates the channels. It is the process in which qi is guided through the stimulation of the needles. In Qi Gong it is the qi that we receive from the simple practice of movement in Qi Gong, Tai Ji Quan, martial arts and meditation.