Qigong
/ˈtʃiːˌɡʊŋ/noun
A Chinese system of coordinated breathing, movement, and meditation intended to cultivate physical and mental well-being.
Did you know?In traditional Chinese thought, qi was not merely mystical energy: the same character could refer to breath, air, steam, or vapor, linking invisible life force with visible natural processes.
Etymological Timeline
Late Old Chinese, c. 200 BCE–200 CE
Chinese
氣 (qì)
“Air, breath, vapor, or vital material; later understood in philosophical traditions as life energy.”
Middle Chinese, c. 600–900 CE
Chinese
khjɨjH
“The spoken form ancestral to modern qì, retaining meanings connected with breath, air, and vital force.”
Classical Chinese, early medieval period
Chinese
功 (gōng)
“Achievement, merit, work, or skill acquired through effort.”
19th–early 20th Century
Chinese
氣功 (qìgōng)
“A modern compound meaning the cultivation or disciplined practice of qi; earlier practices were often described by other names.”
20th Century
English
chi kung
“An English transcription based largely on the Wade–Giles romanization system.”
Late 20th–21st Century
English
qigong
“The pinyin-based spelling now widely used for the Chinese practice of breath, movement, and meditative cultivation.”