Yuán qì
In traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese culture, yuán qì (元氣) is a description of one form of qi. It is usually described as "innate" or "pre-natal" qi to distinguish it from acquired qi that a person may develop of their lifetime.
Porkert describes the concept as "the metaphorical designation of the inborn constitution, the vital potential that is gradually used up in the course of life. It may be conserved but never replenished."
The term has been used since at least Yuan dynasty times.
[edit] Usage in Japanese
In modern times it has come to be used in a colloquial manner in Japanese (where it is pronounced genki (元気)) to mean "healthy" or "energetic", a usage that has more recently been borrowed back into Chinese. This colloquial usage of the term forms the basis of a variety of Japanese expressions, including the standard casual greeting, genki desu ka (元気ですか), which translates to "are you well?".[1] As the equivalent of "How are you doing?" in English, it is a rhetorical question and generally answered in the affirmative.
[edit] See also
| Yuán qì |
|---|
| This article is part of the philosophy of CAM and Traditional Chinese medicine series of articles. |
[edit] References
- Porkert, The Theoretical Foundations of Chinese Medicine MIT Press (1974) ISBN 0262160587
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