The Chinese term ch'i, meaning "atmosphere," "breath" or "humor," has a very wide range of reference in everyday language. It is often used, for example, with regard to the weather, which is known as t'ien-ch'i or "heaven's humor." It also crops up in many phrases referring to mood, temperament and a person's general ups and downs, including their physical state of health. By extension it also comes into play when discussing the mood of the stock market or the general state of modern society.

There are all kinds of colorful phrases in everyday speech which incorporate the concept of ch'i. Even when a Chinese is on the point of death ("breaking off his ch'i"), he will not forget to tell his sons and grandsons to find a spot for his grave which possesses excellent "earth ch'i" (a geomantically favorable position).

The idea of ch'i might be summed up as a versatile and elegantly simple way of describing the forces of nature as understood by the ancient Chinese. Many ancient texts indicate that the universe was anciently conceived as originating in a chaotic mass of ch'i, which was then divided into Yin and Yang (roughly, "darkness and light"). It was through the complex interaction of the principles of Yin and Yang that all things visible and invisible came into being. From this core of fundamental belief, a vast and varied cultural tradition evolved among the Chinese.

Among the many fields of Chinese scholarship which incorporate the concept of ch'i, traditional Chinese herbal medicine and Chinese ch'i-kung are two of the most widely known today. Chinese ch'i-kung, which involves advanced breathing techniques as well as muscular exercises, has become a contemporary rage and is now widely practiced all over the world.

The term ch'i represents an ancient philosophical concept. The pre-Ch'in philosopher Kuan Tzu wrote: "The essence of all creation descends into the earth to become the five grains, and rises to form the stars in the sky; when it roams midway between the earth and sky we call it ghosts and spirits, and when it lodges in the breast of a man we call him a Sage. Such is the meaning of ch'i."

In the conception of the ancient Chinese, human life does not simply arise as we understand it today, through the chance conjunction of a sperm and an ovum, followed by the unborn foetus receiving nourishment from the mother's blood through the umbilical cord. In their view a human being also carried with him an "innate Ch'i" or congenital temperament. This innate ch'i disposes over his physical and mental well-being, and is something different from the "acquired ch'i" which he breathes in after birth, or from the "ch'i derived from the essence of water and grain" which he takes in through eating and drinking. These other types of ch'i serve to assist and nourish a person's innate ch'i, which if it ever withers and fails brings the end of a person's natural life. Chinese medicine has a long and continuous tradition stemming from ancient times. It regards the human body as part and parcel of the cosmos, and as being in itself a sort of independent universe in miniature. This concept reflects the Chinese attitude towards human life and has played an important part in influencing the way the Chinese live their lives.

When making a diagnosis, Chinese herbal doctors take into account eight principal syndromes of the body, namely Yin & Yang, exterior & interior, insufficiency (or deficiency) & over-sufficiency, and heat & cold. All these may be summarized as phenomena linked to the state of vigor and changes in equilibrium of a person's ch'i. Chinese medicine's Theory of the Channels, which deals with physiological and pathological changes of the human body and serves as a guiding principle for diagnosis and treatment, has recently made considerable impact within the Western medical community. These channels include the arterio-vascular system, the lymphatic system and the nervous system familiar to modern medicine, but at the same time neither is it entirely equivalent to these systems. It is a type of insight into the workings of the human body that transcends modern anatomical knowledge, a kind of sublime wisdom of the ancients.

Researchers have concluded that these channels, which are the means whereby the body's vital energy circulates, may very well have been discovered by the ancient Chinese who practiced the arts of ch'i-kung or deep breathing techniques. Having perfected these techniques to a certain stage, adepts are said to feel the movement of their vital energy through certain conduits inside the body. The greatest virtuosos claim to be able to close their eyes and visualize the entire processes of metabolism and circulation taking place within themselves. In his work The Eight Miraculous Conduits, the Ming dynasty physician Li Shih-chen stated that "only a Bodhisattva returned to the earth is capable of discerning the conduits within his body."

Pondering the soul, human life and the cosmos, one realizes that their boundless infinity cannot be constricted by the limits of our human understanding. Trying to force them into our own limited parameters of understanding and analysis is perhaps the biggest mistake we can make.

In recent years a number of scientists have set about investigating the secrets of Chinese deep breathing techniques. They aim to test the vital energy within the human body from all kinds of different angles, using infra-red light, heat, electricity, light and sound waves. These efforts have been belittled as merely groping in the dark, but undeniably the vital cultural tradition represented by the ancient Chinese art of deep breathing techniques, plagued as it is by controversy, misunderstanding and even outright dismissal, is another significant attempt by mankind to plumb the mysterious riddle of life.

What makes the Chinese place such importance on nurturing their vital energy, and what accounts for their dreams of possessing the secret of eternal life?

Professor Li Feng-mao of the Chinese Department at Chengchi University, a noted scholar of Taoism, says: "Man's attitude towards life has a great deal to do with his ideas about time and space. In ancient times man's awareness of time and space led to the realization that at the end of his lifespan, no matter how successful that life has been, there awaits death. This sense of impending doom spurred him to seek ways of transcending the limits of time and space. The Taoists denied the validity of the material world and sought to achieve a changeless physical form. They regarded life as a phenomenon produced by cosmic forces of change, and saw birth and death purely as products of nature." As a result, starting with cinnabar elixirs and mystical techniques designed to ensure immortality, Taoism in due course assimilated the spiritual exercises of Zen Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism. As it transformed itself into a widespread popular belief it thus became an integral part of the lives of the common folk.

[Picture Caption]

At the end of his tether, modern man longs to return to spiritual things and go back to nature for the unspoilt simplicity of life. Practicing ch'i-kung provides him with a perfect means for doing so.

Martial arts and esoteric exercises incorporate wisdom derived from the Chinese experience of life.

Ch'i-kung is aimed at producing internal equilibrium and harmony, and finding an ideal state of existence in the cosmos and nature. It might be described as a practical realization of the Chinese concept of the oneness of heaven and man.

The invention of the Theory of Channels in Chinese medicine might possibly have been connected with the practice of ch'i-kung.

In parks and piazzas crowds of people are seen practicing ch'i-kung early in the morning.

Many of those studying ch'i-kung in Taiwan today are yuppies with a high educational level.

Buddhist meditation is not ch'i-kung, but the two share much in common in terms of physical and spiritual exercises.

Once a high degree of tranquillity and physical & spiritual harmony has been attained through ch'i-kung, transcendent sensations and paranormal abilities may made themselves apparent. This is one reason why ch'i-kung is regarded as so mysterious.

Martial arts and esoteric exercises incorporate wisdom derived from the Chinese experience of life.

Ch'i-kung is aimed at producing internal equilibrium and harmony, and finding an ideal state of existence in the cosmos and nature. It might be described as a practical realization of the Chinese concept of the oneness of heaven and man.

The invention of the Theory of Channels in Chinese medicine might possibly have been connected with the practice of ch'i-kung.

In parks and piazzas crowds of people are seen practicing ch'i-kung early in the morning.

Many of those studying ch'i-kung in Taiwan today are yuppies with a high educational level.

Buddhist meditation is not ch'i-kung, but the two share much in common in terms of physical and spiritual exercises.

Once a high degree of tranquillity and physical & spiritual harmony has been attained through ch'i-kung, transcendent sensations and paranormal abilities may made themselves apparent. This is one reason why ch'i-kung is regarded as so mysterious.