User:Immanuelle/Qi
Qi ("Chi" or "Ki") is an esoteric energy field or power source in Chinese mysticism. Qi is usually interpreted as "vital life force", but can also generally refer to energy and physical power in the universe. Qi is a major concept in Chinese acupuncture, which focuses on stimulating pressure points in the body in order to regulate Qi flow for good health.[1] The concept of Qi also plays a part in Qigong and Feng shui.
In Neoconfucianism
[change | change source]In Confucian classics, the text that deals with the cosmology is the I Ching. In the Upper Commentary of the Appendices, it states "Taiji (the Great Ultimate) (太極) → Two Forms (両儀) → Four Images (四象) → Eight Trigrams (八卦)." During the Han dynasty, the "Two Forms" (両儀) were interpreted as the two energies of yin and yang, and the Taiji, the root of the universe, was equated with "Vital Energy" (元気) born from the Spring and Autumn Annals. This led to the model of "Vital Energy (元気) → Yin and Yang (陰陽) → Four Seasons (四時) → All Things (万物)."
In the Song dynasty (宋代), Zhou Dunyi (周敦頤) wrote the "Explanation of the Taiji" (太極図説) based on the "Taiji" (太極図), incorporating the Daoist concept of "Wu Ji" (Non-Ultimate) (無極) and advocating the cosmology of "Non-Ultimate (無極) → Great Ultimate (太極) → Yin and Yang (陰陽) → Five elements→ Generation of All Things (万物化生)." Although later taken up by Zhu Xi (朱熹), Zhu Xi disliked the Daoist concept of "Wu" (Nothingness) (無) and forcibly replaced "From Non-Ultimate to Great Ultimate" with "Non-Ultimate as Great Ultimate".
Zhang Zai (張載) believed that the world and all things were composed of Qi (Vital Energy) (気). He thought that Qi disperses and flows throughout the world, and when it solidifies, it forms all things. He also linked the state of Qi to human morality, considering the highly fluid and original state as "the nature of Heaven and Earth" (天地の性), which he saw as superior, while the solidified, practical state was seen as "the nature of Qi" (気質の性), which he considered inferior.
During the Southern Song dynasty (南宋), Zhu Xi (朱熹) combined Zhang Zai's (張載) concept of Qi (気) with the Cheng brothers' concept of Li (principle) (理) to advocate the dualism of Li and Qi. He called the a priori existence in the world that orders the dispersion and aggregation of Qi the "Principle" (理), and asserted that Principle precedes Qi. Zhu Xi considered human death as the dispersion of Qi, believing that once dispersed, Qi does not return. However, when questioned by his disciples about the practice of ancestor worship (祖先祭祀), this became a significant theoretical flaw in Zhu Xi's philosophy.
By the mid-Ming dynasty (明代中期), the idea that Principle precedes Qi was challenged, and it was proposed that Principle and Qi are mutually inclusive. Principle came to be seen as the order of Qi (not an idea but a form). This theory of Li and Qi eventually converged into a monism of Qi. By the Qing dynasty (清), Dai Zhen posited that Principle is an a posteriori phenomenon generated by Qi
In Japan, Itō Jinsai advocated similar views.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ College, Acupuncture & Massage. "What is Qi? Definition of Qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine". www.amcollege.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
