Chapter Excerpt:

Understood by the Chinese as a life-force that permeates and is shared by all beings in the universe, qi (氣; also transliterated as chi or ch’i) is considered as the most basic material and fuel that supports the functioning of the human body. In attempts to better describe what qi is, Western scholars have variably translated the term into "life energy", "vital force", "vapor", "material force"1, and "psychophysical stuff."2 The concept is also often considered as similar and parallel to prana in Vedic medicine, mana in Pacific Islander worldview, and common

English terms such as breath, energy, etc.