In
traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...
and
Chinese culture
Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...
, ''yuán qì'' (元氣) is an innate or prenatal
qi. This inborn qi is differentiated from acquired qi that a person may develop over 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 the Han Dynasty, where it is found in the chapter 'Lu Li Zhi Shang/律历志上' of the History Book, 'Han Shu.'
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?".
[http://eow.alc.co.jp/%E5%85%83%E6%B0%97/UTF-8/?ref=sa] As the equivalent of "How are you doing?" in English, it is a rhetorical question and generally answered in the affirmative.
See also
*
Jing
*
Neijia
''Neijia'' ( 內家) is a term in Chinese martial arts, grouping those styles that practice ''neijing'', usually translated as internal martial arts, occupied with spiritual, mental or qi-related aspects, as opposed to an "external" approach ...
*
Glossary of alternative medicine
This is a list of articles covering alternative medicine topics.
A
* Activated charcoal cleanse
* Acupressure
* Acupuncture
* Affirmative prayer
* Alexander technique
* Alternative cancer treatments
* Animal-Assisted Therapy
* Anthropo ...
References
*Porkert, ''The Theoretical Foundations of Chinese Medicine'' MIT Press (1974)
Traditional Chinese medicine
Chinese words and phrases
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