In English, qi (also known as chi) is usually translated as “vital life force,” but qi goes beyond that simple translation. According to Classical Chinese Philosophy, qi is the force that makes up and binds together all things in the universe. It is paradoxically, both everything and nothing.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the concept of qi or chi has two main branches. There is the physical or nourishing portion of qi that makes up the air, water, and food that we take in. The other branch of chi is more insubstantial. It is the vital fluids and the energy itself that flows through our bodies.
