A Brief History of Qi

When faced with translating the character 'qi', students of Chinese culture, medicine, martial arts, and a wide range of traditional arts and sciences face one of the most perplexing challenges. There would seem to be no direct way to express the ancient metaphysical concept succinctly in English; in fact, it hasn't previously been explored intensively.

In their first book, Who Can Ride the Dragon?, the authors posed the question of qi's meaning and offered a brief, introductory response. Here, they distill many years of research and investigation, allowing readers to discover the vast and ancient roots of this ancient word and providing ample material with which they can form their own understanding.

Scholarly, yet colloquial, it examines qi's linguistic and literary roots, stretching back through the shadowy mists of Chinese precivilization. It traces the development of the concept of qi through a number of related traditional Chinese disciplines including painting, poetry, calligraphy, dance, medicine, qi gong, and martial arts. Finally, it examines the depth and breadth of qi as manifested in life's cycles.