What is Chi in plain language?

[mograph]

I always wondered if "mind"/"intention" might be a good translation.

Strictly speaking, the Chinese would use "Yi" for that, if my translation is accurate.

No worries ... if "ki" and "chi" don't mean the same thing (strictly speaking), that's cool. I've always admired Aikido.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Strictly speaking, the Chinese would use "Yi" for that, if my translation is accurate.

Yup, yi is mind or intention

Yi, Qi, Li
Mind (Intent) directs Qi and Qi direct (or moves) muscle)

 

[K-man]

The world can be divided into two groups up people. Those who have experienced Ki/Chi and those who haven't. Same here on MT.
:asian:

 

[zzj]

In Japanese:

気

き

spirit; mind; heart / nature; disposition / motivation; intention / mood; feelings / atmosphere; essence

It seems slightly different from the Chinese translation, though some Aikido guys definitely take it more in that direction.

For all intents and purposes, the meaning is the same in Chinese. The big problem here is the linguistic conception, how knowledge and ideas are structured differently in Chinese (and to an extent Japanese or even Korean) as compared to English. Chinese language is defined by iconographic characters, the characters embody the ideas and concept within themselves while in English, the idea is abstract, and words are used to describe and approximate the meaning / idea.

In a simplistic way of putting it, the word/character Chi or qi (&#27668 is the reality of the idea in itself, the scientific, physiological evidence of which are but manifestations of the ideological reality; the presence or lack thereof would have no direct bearing on the existence of 气 as a conceptual construct.

As my teacher would put it, whether chi is real or not is beyond doubt, as without chi, one would be dead. Chi to him (he is Mainland Chinese, a Chen villager by birth), is the reality of the idea, and not a so much an explicit scientific concept.

 

[zzj]

Oh yes, with regards to how chi can be used etc, note that in Chinese, meanings are derived via correlation. Chi the idea in itself, it correlates to aliveness, vitality, the feeling of having energy, of intent (the will of the living) affecting energetic sensation. This is an over-arching conception in the Chinese language, but as you can see, that is not precise enough as a dictionary description, hence all the tangential arguments surrounding it.

On the slightly more esoteric side, if you train with the idea and intention of affecting the energetic sensations in your body, who is to say there isn't a real, resultant, quantifiable effect? At the very least your mind and body would be primed to operate as one; I'm open to the possibility that this type of training can affect 'real' (tangible) energy systems yet to be properly discovered and described in scientific terms.

 

[Towel Snapper]

So basically its a feeling and the ancient Chinese called that feeling Chi.

So instead of feeling depressed they would say I feel like I have low Chi levels, or instead of feeling aware and happy they would say I have strong Chi.

Getting to the bottom of this question has given me low Chi levels.

 

[Xue Sheng]

So basically its a feeling and the ancient Chinese called that feeling Chi.

So instead of feeling depressed they would say I feel like I have low Chi levels, or instead of feeling aware and happy they would say I have strong Chi.

Getting to the bottom of this question has given me low Chi levels.

nope that is not it at all. You are asking what Qi is, it is energy and has not so much to do with emotion.

Get Yang Jwing Ming's book about Qi, that is a good place to start if you really are trying to understand this

 

[zzj]

So basically its a feeling and the ancient Chinese called that feeling Chi.

So instead of feeling depressed they would say I feel like I have low Chi levels, or instead of feeling aware and happy they would say I have strong Chi.

Getting to the bottom of this question has given me low Chi levels.

No, it is not a feeling.... It is not this or that, it is the IDEA of vital energy..(this is the best, concise approximation I can come up with)

 

[K-man]

So basically its a feeling and the ancient Chinese called that feeling Chi.

So instead of feeling depressed they would say I feel like I have low Chi levels, or instead of feeling aware and happy they would say I have strong Chi.

Getting to the bottom of this question has given me low Chi levels.

OK, my feelings about Ki initially come from Aikido. In the following video the type of thing I am looking for as utilisation of Ki comes at about the 8:15 mark of this video. Don't get hung up on the earlier exercises.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wb79scOWETs
It looks as if the guy is just going down for his instructor but it isn't the case. Others will point out that it is just biomechanics but in reality it goes way beyond biomechanics.

As I said earlier. If you have felt it you know about it and if you haven't felt it you don't.
:asian:

 

[Towel Snapper]

OK, my feelings about Ki initially come from Aikido. In the following video the type of thing I am looking for as utilisation of Ki comes at about the 8:15 mark of this video. Don't get hung up on the earlier exercises.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wb79scOWETs
It looks as if the guy is just going down for his instructor but it isn't the case. Others will point out that it is just biomechanics but in reality it goes way beyond biomechanics.


As I said earlier. If you have felt it you know about it and if you haven't felt it you don't.
:asian:

That guy is highly ignorant and believing in myths, its not Ki its isometric and eccentric muscular strength, if you use concentric strength its weaker than isometric or eccentric strength. Its harder to do a 1 armed pull up than it is to start at the top of a one armed pull up and resist being dragged down by gravity. Thats all thats going on there scientifically.

Starting to think this is all a load of ancient BS

It seems like Chi is simalr to the God of the gaps theory, when the ancient Chinese didnt know what something was or how it worked they called it Chi, in the west when we didnt understand why or how something worked we said God did it. I think this is what Chi comes down to perhaps.

When he says let the Ki/Chi flow what really is going on is that he is saying stop using your muscles concentrically and let the natural instinct to resiSt isometrically/eccentrically take over when that person pulls on your fingers. (your fingers being attached by levers to your stronger forearm muscles and other bigger pulling muscles, so its no where near as impressive as it seems to some.


THE DEFINITION OF CHI IS "WE DONT KNOW WHATS GOING ON HERE SCIENTIFICALLY SO WE ARE GONNA CALL IT CHI"

 

[K-man]

That guy is highly ignorant and believing in myths, its not Ki its isometric and eccentric muscular strength, if you use concentric strength its weaker than isometric or eccentric strength. Its harder to do a 1 armed pull up than it is to start at the top of a one armed pull up and resist being dragged down by gravity. Thats all thats going on there scientifically.

Starting to think this is all a load of ancient BS

It seems like Chi is simalr to the God of the gaps theory, when the ancient Chinese didnt know what something was or how it worked they called it Chi, in the west when we didnt understand why or how something worked we said God did it. I think this is what Chi comes down to perhaps.

When he says let the Ki/Chi flow what really is going on is that he is saying stop using your muscles concentrically and let the natural instinct to resit isometrically/eccentrically take over when that person pulls on your fingers. (your fingers being attached by levers to your stronger forearm muscles and other bigger pulling muscles, so its no where near as impressive as it seems to some.

Then I have obviously wasted eight years of training. Sad really.

 

[Towel Snapper]

Then I have obviously wasted eight years of training. Sad really.

Not really theres merit behind what he is teaching, its just he doesn't understand whats going on in a scientific way only in a myth based way.

Looks like you picked up alot of myths and a sarcasm ego defense along with your semi effective martial arts training.

 

[Xue Sheng]

That guy is highly ignorant and believing in myths, its not Ki its isometric and eccentric muscular strength, if you use concentric strength its weaker than isometric or eccentric strength. Its harder to do a 1 armed pull up than it is to start at the top of a one armed pull up and resist being dragged down by gravity. Thats all thats going on there scientifically.

Starting to think this is all a load of ancient BS

It seems like Chi is simalr to the God of the gaps theory, when the ancient Chinese didnt know what something was or how it worked they called it Chi, in the west when we didnt understand why or how something worked we said God did it. I think this is what Chi comes down to perhaps.

When he says let the Ki/Chi flow what really is going on is that he is saying stop using your muscles concentrically and let the natural instinct to resiSt isometrically/eccentrically take over when that person pulls on your fingers. (your fingers being attached by levers to your stronger forearm muscles and other bigger pulling muscles, so its no where near as impressive as it seems to some.


THE DEFINITION OF CHI IS "WE DONT KNOW WHATS GOING ON HERE SCIENTIFICALLY SO WE ARE GONNA CALL IT CHI"

Nope again, lot of scientific studies done on it, do you read or speak Mandarin? See Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Also for studies in English look to the World Health Organization. Or stop looking for simple short sentence answers and read Dr Yang's book on the subject.

You are not getting this at all...... what makes your muscles move?

Frankly at this point I'm done, I have tried to make this as simple as possible and you still are not getting it, or you don't want to get it, I'm not sure which one but I'm leaning towards the later. You are looking for a simple answer that fits whatever you have already decided it should be and your not getting so now that you have decided you do not get it then you deem it BS. Big problem when it comes to Qi is all the baggage that comes with it from a Western perspective, get past that and you might start to figure it out, and it is not all that complicated.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Not really theres merit behind what he is teaching, its just he doesn't understand whats going on in a scientific way only in a myth based way.

Looks like you picked up alot of myths and a sarcasm ego defense along with your semi effective martial arts training.

Yeah there it is.... was not sure we were gong to taker it here..... I must admit that was a long way around that was veiled pretty nicely in what appeared to be a desire to learn something....but alas.... it wasn't.... just another MMA vs TMA bashing thread...... I must admit you did a good job of hiding it......

You have a nice day.... Xue Sheng out

 

[Towel Snapper]

Nope again, lot of scientific studies done on it, do you read or speak Mandarin? See Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Also for studies in English look to the World Health Organization. Or stop looking for simple short sentence answers and read Dr Yang's book on the subject.

You are not getting this at all...... what makes your muscles move?

Frankly at this point I'm done, I have tried to make this as simple as possible and you still are not getting it, or you don't want to get it, I'm not sure which one but I'm leaning towards the later. You are looking for a simple answer that fits whatever you have already decided it should be and your not getting so now that you have decided you do not get it then you deem it BS. Big problem when it comes to Qi is all the baggage that comes with it from a Western perspective, get past that and you might start to figure it out, and it is not all that complicated.

Xue Sheng out.

Answer me this, you say Chi is energy, well what type of energy is it from the physical world?

My cup IS still empty, so please, dont crap in it!

 

[Xue Sheng]

Answer me this, you say Chi is energy, well what type of energy is it from the physical world?

Answer me this....what moves your muscles.......

Pretty much already answered your question and pointed you in the direction as to where you can learn more......last time, read Dr Yang's book and then maybe will talk.....

Like I said, Xue Sheng out.... have a nice day

 

[Towel Snapper]

Answer me this....what moves your muscles.......

Pretty much already answered your question and pointed you in the direction as to where you can learn more......last time, read Dr Yang's book and then maybe will talk.....

Like I said, Xue Sheng out.... have a nice day

Are you saying its kinetic energy? Electrical? What energy do you mean?

Muscles work via a filament shortening to create a pulling motion between two places, triggered by the nervous system.

Also why do you have to drop hints why not tell me directly? e.g. its this energy or that energy, why the need for hints?

 

[Cirdan]

Towel`s cup may be empty but he is holding it upside down.

 

[Towel Snapper]

towel`s cup may be empty but he is holding it upside down.

lmao@!@

 

[Towel Snapper]

Breathe?