jīng 精
Essence
Essence is derived from the innate life substance, a tangible and nutrient substance from parents, and nutrient substances that are acquired later from food and drinks. It is the origin of life and the most basic substance constituting human body and maintaining life activities. Essence could be understood in either a broad or a narrow sense. The former refers to all types of tangible and nutrient substances including blood, body fluids, marrow, and the nutrients from food and drinks, which are believed to constitute human body and maintain life activities. The latter refers to what is stored in the kidney, that is, kidney essence, including prenatal essence from conception and postnatal essence from food and drinks, which is believed to produce offspring and promote growth and development.
【Previous translation】essence; essence of life; vital essence; sperm; semen
【Current translation】essence; essence of life
【Standard translation】essence
Citations:
Essence is the foundation of life. (Plain Conversation)
A baby is conceived when the reproductive substances of a male and a female are combined. The reproductive substance that exists from conception is named essence. (Spiritual Pivot)
Five zang-organs are where essence is stored. (Spiritual Pivot)
qì 气
Qi
The concept of qi includes three levels of meaning: (1) an ancient philosophical concept, referring to the origin of everything in the universe and the substantial element that constitutes the soma and psyche; (2) the substance, energy, and information that constitute the human body and maintain the life activities. Qi of human can be divided into yin qi and yang qi based on the nature; original qi, pectoral qi, nutrient qi, and defense qi based on the transformation; stomach qi, heart qi, liver qi, kidney qi, lung qi, spleen qi, and visceral qi based on its function; and (3) qi refers to pathogenic qi, a type of qi that causes diseases.
【Previous translation】refined substance; vital energy; chi; influence
【Current translation】qi; Chi
【Standard translation】qi
Citations:
Qi begins to generate and transform upon origination. Things begin to configure when qi spreads, and to develop and multiply when qi distributes. All will be altered when qi stops transformation. This applies to everything. (Plain Conversation)
The upper energizer initiates to open and disperse. It distributes the nutrients from food and drinks to all parts of the body, nourishing the skin, body, and hair like diffusion of dew and mist. That is what qi means. (Spiritual Pivot)
The pathogenic qi that attacks the three regions (the upper, middle, and lower parts of the body) is different. … When pathogenic qi attacks the body, it resides at a certain region and is named accordingly. (Spiritual Pivot)
shén 神
Spirit
Spirit has three different meanings: (1) the creator, master, and original source of everything in the universe; (2) life activities including physiological functions and mental activities; and (3) consciousness and mental activities such as cognition, emotion, and will. Governed by the heart, spirit is primarily involved in human physiological functions and mental activities that pertain to five zang-organs, respectively. Essence, qi, blood, and body fluids are the substantial foundations for spirit which is the result of movements, changes, and interactions among the essential qi of zang-fu organs.
【Previous translation】vitality; mental activity; spirit; Shen; mind
【Current translation】mind; spirit; shen
【Standard translation】spirit
Citations:
Nourished by yang qi, spirit will be refreshed and sinews will be flexible. (Plain Conversation)
The harmony of zang-qi ensures the production of body fluids and then spirit. (Plain Conversation)
The heart is the root of life and the storehouse of spirit. Its condition is manifested in the luster of the face, and its vigor in the blood vessels. It pertains to taiyang (greater yang) within yang and is related to summer-qi. (Plain Conversation)
jīngqì 精气
Essential Qi
Essential qi, a type of fine qi, is the material basis of human growth, development, and various functional activities. It includes reproductive essence, essence transformed from food and drinks, and the fresh air in nature.
【Previous translation】refined energy; health energy; essence; essential qi
【Current translation】essence; essential qi
【Standard translation】essential qi
Citations:
Predominance of pathogenic qi is defined as excess, whereas insufficiency of essential qi is deficiency. (Plain Conversation)
Five zang-organs store essential qi and do not discharge it. (Plain Conversation)
When food and drinks are ingested, their nutrients are stored in the stomach. The transformed essential qi is then transmitted by the spleen. (Plain Conversation)
yuánqì 元气
Original Qi
Original qi, also known as primordial qi, is the source qi that serves as the driving force for the activities of zang-fu organs. Transformed from the prenatal essence and nourished by the postnatal essence, it is distributed throughout the body via triple energizer (sanjiao). It internally permeates five zang-organs and six fu-organs and externally reaches the skin, striae, and interstices, promoting and stimulating the physiological functions of all organs and meridians. Original qi performs two physiological functions. First, it promotes and regulates growth, development, and reproduction. When the reproductive essence from parents combines and develops into an embryo, original qi comes into being. Second, original qi propels and regulates the physiological activities of zang-fu organs, meridians, as well as other organs and tissues when it flows to every part of the human body via triple energizer (sanjiao).
【Previous translation】primordial energy; primordial qi; original qi; body resistance; source qi; right qi
【Current translation】original qi; primordial qi; source qi
【Standard translation】original qi
Citations:
Life gate is where spirit and essence reside and where original qi is maintained. (Canon of Difficult Issues)
The kidney receives and stores the essential qi from five zang-organs and six fu-organs; thus, it is where original qi is rooted and engendered. (Plain Conversation Annotated by Wang Bing)
Gejie (Tokay Gecko) Powder is used for deficiency cold of original qi as well as chronic cough persisting for years due to the adverse rising of qi. (Discussion of Pathology Based on Triple Etiology Doctrine)
zo-ngqì 宗气
Pectoral Qi
Pectoral qi (zong qi) refers to the qi in the chest transformed from the absorbed nutrients of food and drinks and the inhaled fresh air. Zong means origin. As zong qi originates in the chest and is related to the vital signs of breathing, heartbeat, and so on, it is called pectoral qi. It performs two functions: (1) facilitating breathing in the airway and promoting the breathing function of the lung; and (2) permeating the heart and vessels to promote the flow of qi and blood and assist the blood circulation of the heart. Therefore, the exuberance or debilitation of pectoral qi is closely related to the circulation of qi and blood, the regulation of body temperature, the movement of limbs, and the strength of breath and voice.
【Previous translation】initial energy; pectoral qi; gathering qi; ancestral qi
【Current translation】ancestral qi; pectoral qi; thoracic qi; zongqi
【Standard translation】pectoral qi
Citations:
Pectoral qi concentrates in the chest, goes through the throat, and permeates the heart and vessels to promote breathing. (Spiritual Pivot)
If the pulse beats fast below the breast (at xuli), it means a leakage of pectoral qi. (Plain Conversation)
Pectoral qi stays in the chest and forms the sea of qi. The part of pectoral qi that flows downward infuses into qijie (ST30) and the part that flows upward reaches the trachea. (Spiritual Pivot)
yíngqì 营气
Nutrient Qi
Nutrient qi, also known as rong qi, flowing in the vessels with the function of nourishing, is extracted from the essence of food and drinks transformed and transported by the spleen and the stomach. It circulates in channels with blood and flows in the entire body via 12 regular meridians, conception vessel, and governor vessel. It is primarily involved in producing blood and nourishing human body. Nutrient qi, abundant in nutritive components, can produce blood when combined with body fluids; hence, it is the primary substance for blood engenderment. It circulates in the body with blood and distributes nutrients to zang-fu organs and meridians, maintaining the normal physiological function.
【Previous translation】ying-energy; construction qi; nutritive qi
【Current translation】nutrient qi; nutritive qi
【Standard translation】nutrient qi
Citations:
Nutrient qi with body fluids infuses into the vessels and transforms into blood to externally nourish four limbs and internally permeate five zang-organs and six fu-organs. (Spiritual Pivot)
If nutrient qi fails to flow normally and stagnates in the muscular interstices, carbuncle and ulcer will occur. (Plain Conversation)
If the stable flow of defense qi is assured, nutrient qi will be abundant and meridian qi will then be exuberant. (Spiritual Pivot)
wèiqì 卫气
Defense Qi
Defense qi is the qi that protects the human body. Defense qi, intrepid and swift, is transformed from the nutrients of food and drinks, and originated from the spleen and the stomach. It reaches the upper energizer and flows swiftly outside the vessels. It is primarily involved in warming and nourishing the interior and the exterior of human body, protecting skin from exogenous pathogenic factors, nourishing interstices, and controlling the opening and closing of sweat pores. Being the primary source of heat, defense qi permeates the whole body, warms the skin, hair, muscles, and zang-fu organs to keep them lustrous and healthy, and maintains constant body temperature. It regulates sweat discharge by controlling the opening and closing of sweat pores.
【Previous translation】wei-energy; defense qi; defensive qi
【Current translation】defense qi; defensive qi; protective qi
【Standard translation】defense qi
Citations:
Defense qi is to warm the muscles, nourish the skin, fill in the striae and interstices, as well as control the sweat pores. (Spiritual Pivot)
Defense qi, the intrepid and swift qi transformed from the nutrients of food and drinks, first flows incessantly in the four limbs, muscles, and skin. In the daytime it flows in the yang phase, whereas at night it flows in the yin phase. It usually begins to flow from the Kidney Meridian of Foot-shaoyin and then into five zang-organs and six fu-organs. (Spiritual Pivot)
In cold and cloudy days, blood tends to stagnate and defense qi tends to remain dormant in the body. (Plain Conversation)
qìhuà 气化
Qi Transformation
Qi transformation refers to various transforming changes caused by qi, that is, metabolism and inter-transformation of essence, qi, blood, and body fluids. Therefore, qi transformation is the metabolic process in human body whereby the substance and energy transformation takes place, and thus it is the root of life activities. Zang-fu organs play an indispensable role in activating and maintaining qi transformation, whose normal function depends on inter-regulation of physiological activities among zang-fu organs. Constant substance exchange between nature and human body is indispensable to maintaining life activities.
【Previous translation】activity of vital energy; qi transformation; qi activity; transformative function of qi
【Current translation】qi transformation; qi activity
【Standard translation】qi transformation
Citations:
Urinary bladder, like an official in charge of a reservoir, is responsible for storing body fluids and discharging urine through qi transformation. (Plain Conversation)
When qi transformation of the urinary bladder is dysfunctional, it is necessary to reinforce kidney qi to tonify the bladder. (Yellow Emperor’s External Canon of Med...