6 alternative forms for the concept of qi (氣)
'Qi', sometimes transliterated as chi or ch'i is a well-known concept in the worlds of Chinese medicine, philosophy, martial arts and geomancy. A traditional etymology suggests that the concept originally developed from the idea of clouds or mist and from there, by extension, the idea of breath. But actually there were many alternative ways of getting qi down in writing, and the different forms suggest a few different ideas were in play when nailing down this all-important concept in Chinese thought.
