TCM Theory: The Concept of Qi

TCM Theory: The Concept of Qi

* The concept of Qi
* Formation of Qi
* Functions of Qi
* Basic patterns of Qi’s movements
* Classification of Qi

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Qi, Blood and Body Fluids are the most basic substances that constitute the human body and maintain its functional activities. They are, on the one hand, the products of the functional activities of the Zang and Fu Organs of the body, and on the other hand, the material basis of these functional activities. As TCM holds that the life process is, in fact, a process of the metabolism of these substances, this is regarded as the true meaning of the Zang and Fu Organs. In other words, the viscera are produced and maintained by the activities of these substances. Therefore, disorders of the viscera can be generalized as those of these substances.

Generally speaking, Qi is an essential substance that is full of vigor and flows fast. Blood is the red liquid circulating in the vessels and nourishing the whole body, and Body Fluids are a general term for all the water necessary for life. Qi is attributed to Yang, because it is mobile and functions to move and warm; while the Blood and Body Fluids are attributed to Yin because they are motionless and function to nourish and moisten the human body. In this sense, Qi is also named Yang Qi and the Blood and Body Fluids, Yin Fluids of the body.

1. The Concept of Qi
Concept of Qi Qi was originally a philosophic concept. The ancients believed that the world changes and things in the world can transform from one to another, so when they tried to explain the world with a common substance, they determined that the substance must have two properties: invisibility and motion. As it is invisible or has no certain shape, it can create various kinds of things; and as it is moving, things in the world are always changing and may transform from one to another. Air, the original meaning of Qi, is just such a substance which cannot be seen but the movement of which, as wind, can be felt. This was extended to mean that the most basic substance of the world, and its movement and change can explain the generation, development and change of all things in the world.

The ancient Chinese philosophy holds that Qi is this most basic substance constituting the world. Accordingly, TCM also believes that Qi is the most fundamental substance in the construction of the human body and in the maintenance of its life activities. As a whole, Qi in the cosmos takes two patterns of existence, diffused Qi and coagulated Qi. The former is more vigorous, cannot be detected directly and exists everywhere. The latter is manifested as various kinds of things that can be seen or that have certain shapes. In order to survive, coagulated Qi must communicate with diffused Qi and its generation as well as its ending results from movement of the diffused Qi. That means, when the diffused Qi coagulates, it creates substantial matter, while if it separates, the matter disappears. Therefore, any substantial matter can be regarded as a special process of the movement of Qi, and life, in essence, is the course of Qi’s ascending, descending, exiting and entering movements in given conditions.

Man depends on nature for his production and growth and must observe the common laws of the world. As everything in the world comes from the interaction of Heaven Qi and Earth Qi, man must breathe to absorb Heaven Qi and eat to absorb Earth Qi. The food Essence transformed and transported by the Spleen must be sent up to the Lung to combine with fresh air to produce the nutrients necessary for man’s life activities.

Qi of the human body also has two patterns of existence. The coagulated Qi is manifested as various visible or structural components of the body, such as viscera, body figure, sense organs, Blood, Body Fluids and Essence; the diffused Qi is manifested as the Qi that flows in the body, but takes no certain form, such as Nutritive Qi, Defensive Qi, Primordial Qi and Pectoral Qi.

2. Formation of Qi
Qi of the human body comes from the combination of three kinds of Qi, Primordial Qi inherited from parents, the fresh air inhaled by the Lung and the refined food Essence transformed by the Spleen. Primordial Qi is derived from the Congenital Essence of the parents and is the primary substance to produce an embryo. So it forms the basis of the human body and its life activities. Without Congenital Essence, there can be no human body. After birth, the congenital Essence is stored in the Kidney to promote development and to control the reproductive activity of the human body. The refined food Essence is generated by the food which is taken in after birth and is distributed all over the body to produce nutrients and Qi and Blood under the action of the Spleen and Stomach. Fresh air is inhaled by the Lung after birth and is the main source of Qi of the human body.

From the process of formation of Qi, we can see that Qi of the human body is closely related to the functional activities of the Kidney, the Spleen and Stomach, and the Lung, in addition to the congenital constitution, food and nutrients, and the environment. Only when these organs function properly can the Qi of the body flourish. Conversely, dysfunction of any of these organs will influence the formation of Qi and the physiological function of Qi. For example, dysfunction of the Lung will weaken respiration, leading to failure of fresh air to be inhaled and the turbid Qi of the body to be exhaled, with the resultant inadequate formation of Qi.

The transformation and transportation of the Spleen and Stomach play a particular role in the formation of Qi, for man relies on the nutrients transformed and transported by the Spleen and Stomach for his life after birth. On the one hand, the Spleen sends up nutrients to the Lung to be dispersed, on the other, it sends down nutrients to the Kidney to supplement Kidney Essence. So, hypofunctioning of the Spleen and Stomach influences all three elementary substances that produce Qi.

3. Functions of Qi
Generally speaking, Qi of the human body has five functions: pushing, warming, defending, controlling and steaming.

3-1. Pushing
Qi is a vigorous substance that flows fast in the human body. So it promotes the growth and development of the body, the movement, distribution and discharge of Blood and Body Fluids, and the functional activities of Zangfu Organs.

After birth, the Genuine Qi generated from Kidney Essence determines the growth and development of the human body. After middle age, Genuine Qi gradually declines, so a person grows old. If his Genuine Qi is deficient, a person’s development will be poor.

The physiological functions of Zangfu Organs and Channels and Collaterals of the human body all depend on the pushing of Qi as well as the nourishing of Blood. The vigor and the ascending, descending, entry and exit movements of Qi play a very important role in promoting the functional activities of Zangfu Organs and Channels and Collaterals. Any organ is a place where the activities of Qi take place, so the physiological effect is in fact, the manifestation of Qi’s movements. For example, the respiration of the Lung is actually carried out by the dispersing and descending effects of Lung Qi. Therefore, when Qi is deficient, hypofunctioning of Zangfu Organs will ensue. For instance, deficient Lung Qi often leads to feeble breathing, a lower voice, lassitude, weak pulse, etc.

Qi also promotes the generation, distribution and discharge of the Blood and Body Fluids. As Yin substances, Blood and Body Fluids depend on Qi’s activities to be generated. In other words, generation of these substances relies on the activities of Qi of the Spleen and the Stomach, the Lung and the Kidney. Besides, Qi is a vigorous substance, so it can activate the flow of Blood and Body Fluids, as well as transform them into various secretions and excretions. For this reason, Qi Deficiency often leads to an impeded flow of Blood or stagnation of Blood, or retention of Body Fluids in the body, which, in turn, causes Phlegm or edema.

3-2. Warming
Qi, as a Yang substance, is rich in heat, which can warm Zangfu Organs, Channels, skin, and muscles and tendons, to maintain normal body temperature and the normal functional activities of these organs and tissues. Motion produces heat, so the heat carried by Qi is in fact, a result of the constant movement of Qi, and the body temperature is maintained by the constant movement of Qi. In addition, Qi’s warming function contributes to the movement of Blood and Body Fluids. The ancients observed that water in a river would flow in warm weather and freeze in cold weather, so they drew the conclusion that the warming effect of Qi must be an imperative condition for the free flow of Blood and Body Fluids within the body.

Pathologically, disorders of Qi in its warming function are mainly manifested as two kinds: one is a cold manifestation due to Deficiency of Qi, which results mostly from the deficient Qi failing to produce adequate Heat to warm the body, marked by aversion to cold and a desire for warmth, cold limbs, lower body temperature and sluggish flow of Blood and Body Fluids. The other is the manifestation of Heat due to stagnation of Qi, which is usually caused by sluggish flow of Qi in a local area.

3-3. Defending
The defensive ability of the body results from the combined action of a number of physiological functions, of which the function of Qi plays a particularly important role. The defensive effect of Qi mainly indicates that Qi can prevent the invasion of external pathogenic factors into the body. Generally speaking, external pathogens invade the body through either the skin or the nose and mouth. Defensive Qi functions to protect the body surface, and control the opening and closing of the pores, so it can prevent the invasion of external pathogens. If the defensive function of Qi is deficient, the resistance of the body against the invasion of these factors will be weakened, and as a result, susceptibility to such diseases as the common cold are likely to occur.

3-4. Controlling
Qi has the function of controlling the flow of Blood and Body Fluids to prevent extravasation or unnecessary loss of Body Fluids. Qi can keep the Blood flowing within the vessels to avoid extravasation, control the amount and time limit of such secretions as sweat, urine, gastric juice, and saliva to prevent their excessive loss, and control emission to avoid its excessive discharge. When Qi is deficient, Yin Fluids will be profusely lost. For example, failure of Qi to control Blood will cause various kinds of bleeding; inability of Qi to control Body Fluids will cause spontaneous sweating or profuse sweating, incontinence of urine or profuse urine; and failure of Qi to control emission will cause nocturnal emission, premature ejaculation, or seminal emission.

The controlling effect of Qi and the pushing effect of Qi are opposite and supplement each other. On the one hand, Qi promotes the distribution and discharge of Blood and Body Fluids; on the other, Qi controls the flow of these Yin substances to prevent their unnecessary loss. Only when these two opposite aspects are harmonized can the normal flow and discharge of the Yin substances and the metabolism of Blood and water be maintained.

3-5. Transforming
This refers to various conversions occurring along with the movement of Qi. It includes the changes of Qi during its movement and the generation and metabolism of Essence, Blood and Body Fluids and their transformation. That is to say, any changes of substances can be considered the result of the transforming effect of Qi, such as transformation of Food into nutrients and wastes, that of wastes into feces, that of nutrients into Qi and Blood, that of Body Fluids into sweat and urine, and the discharge of urine and feces. As the transforming effect of Qi in the human body is a process in which the metabolism of the substances take place, it forms the essence of life.

Although the above mentioned five functions of Qi differ from each other, they are all based on the basic property of Qi, or the vigorous and nutritive nature of Qi.