Traditional Chinese Medicine figured out many things before the west did. Physicists have, comparatively recently, determined that the whole world is made of energy. Some of it comes together to make matter and seems solid, but it’s still a bunch of loosely associated particles of energy. That is so simplistic as to nearly be wrong, but it does help us understand the concept of Qi.
The Chinese character for Qi indicates that it is something which is both material and immaterial at the same time. Qi is energy, but it is everything else too. Qi is the basis of the universe’s infinite manifestations of life, including minerals, vegetables and animals including man. All the various stages of Qi are ultimately one Qi, merely manifesting in different forms. Qi will change its form according to its locality and its function.
Chinese Medicine emphasizes the relationship between human being’s Qi, natural forces in the world, and the person’s environment. The energy of all those pieces is taken into account and the used to determine etiology, diagnosis and treatment of a problem. Qi moves and changes quickly from moment to moment. Qi can be easily be replenished on a day to basis. Poor circulation can result in excessive condensation of Qi which means that Qi becomes pathologically dense, forming lumps, masses or tumors.
As I’ve said, Chinese Medicine is all about balance, and the balance of Qi, within a person and between a person and their environment, is a fundamental principle.
