The traditional acupuncture theories of health and illness are based on the concept of Qi (气). Qi has been translated using ancient Greek terms such as pneuma and has also been described as life-force, vitality or energy.
In Chinese, Qi has lots of different meanings depending on the context. It is a commonly used word within day-to-day language as well as an integral part of Chinese philosophy. In truth, it is probably best not to try and translate the term at all. Instead, a few examples can give a sense of the meaning of Qi in Chinese medicine. In Chinese, anger is shengqi 生气 – which literally means ‘growing’ Qi.
This is what is depicted by cartoonists to illustrate a character getting angry with the head and upper body swelling and the face growing red. Disheartened or discouraged is xieqi 泄气 – which could be literally translated as ‘let out’ or ‘leak’ Qi. This is like the English expression to feel ‘deflated’. Through questioning and observation acupuncturists will assess the state of a person’s Qi. This assessment can be related to the ‘organs’ or zangfu (脏腑). We normally use the biomedical names such as Lungs, Kidney and Liver for the zangfu.
It is important to note, the Lungs and Kidneys etc are defined differently in Chinese medicine to the biomedical lungs and kidneys, although there is some overlap. If a person feels tightness in the chest, they have a quiet voice and catch colds easily these are signs and symptoms that inform the acupuncturist about the Qi of the Lungs.
The traditional theory describes Qi flowing around the body along the meridians. Commonly seen acupuncture charts depict the 14 meridians that have acupuncture points. However, the Chinese word for meridian is jingluo (经络) and relates to two concepts. Jing refers to the familiar main meridians. Luo means ‘resembling a net’ and refers to smaller meridians that cover the entire body. This is similar to the way in which the main arteries divide into the capillaries.
In the traditional theory illness can be described in terms of deficiency of Qi, excess of Qi, or blockage of Qi within the meridian (jingluo) and organ (zangfu) system. Acupuncture seeks to move the Qi within this system to tonify deficiency, reduce excess and clear blockages.
