In martial arts training, we use the term "Ki" virtually everyday: we hear about how we must use it, how we must be aware of it, how we must somehow merge with or utilize that of an opponent, etc. It may help if we take a step backwards and stop to ask the very simple question: "What is 'Ki'?"
Answering this question is no easy task; but, by describing its attributes and manifestions, we may be able to acquire a more clear picture of the concept.
The most common definition in the Occident is "energy." Actually, this was the very definition given by one of the earliest Western translations of Chinese medical texts in French: "energie"; and, it does prove somewhat useful in describing this universal phenomenon. All things in the universe do have some type of energy; and such energy takes many different forms: heat, motion, power, life, force, sound, etc. The problem with this view is that such energy is solely seen as an active, moving, living force; whereas in the Oriental concept, even inanimate objects in a static state possess "Ki." Rocks, the earth, and still water all possess "Ki." In the Eastern conception, all things possess "Ki," as Zhang Yu Huan notes in his
A Brief History of Qi: “Qi is the origin of both the form and substance of the whole universe. Everything is a result of qi.” Kenji Tokitsu in
Ki and the Way of the Martial Arts defines it similarly as "an entity that enables life and the existence of things in the universe."
Ancient Chinese thinkers entertained the possibility that Ki has different fractions: the heaviest Ki being found in rocks and soil, less heavy Ki in liquids, and the lightest in air. While the Chinese character for Ki, 氣 first began as an ideograph for "vapor" or "atmosphere" as three bent lines stacked one atop another, Ki's domain was never limited to air. Interestingly though, it is through air and breath that humans receive a great deal of universal Ki. In fact, in the Classical Chinese texts, "Ki" is often used synonymously as "breath." Lao Tzu notes in his
Dao de Jing: "It is on the blending of breaths (Ki) that harmony depends" [冲氣以爲和]; and further: "If the heart makes calls upon the life-breath (Ki), rigidity follows" [益生曰祥心使氣曰强].
At the beginning of martial arts training sessions, we often begin with "Hapki Breathing." (合氣呼吸) We concentrate on our breathing; we concentrate on our "Tan Cheon" (丹田) abdomen point; we concentrate on our body; we concentrate mentally. What we are doing is breathing in a way which will increase our internal energy--our "Ki" if you will. We can look at this process in a more familiar Western scientific way as increasing the intake of oxygen, which finds its way into the blood stream and is delivered to the muscles of the body, thus increasing their potential for activity: in essence, increasing our energy. An Eastern thinker might make the explanation more simple: it is the flow of "Ki" within us.
The "kihap" (氣合) is also very important in our training. At an appropriate time during a technique, one gives a loud, strong yell. Once again, looking through a scientific lense, we can say that this yell startles the opponent, interrupts their violent pattern of thought, and causes hesitation that gives us a brief opportunity for attack. We can also say that it strengthens our own resolve. The Oriental view might be more along the lines of a gathering of our energy (Ki) for an effective technique, focusing it on the motion at hand. Either way, this kihap yell gives us (and the technique) energy and power; so, the Japanese Zen monk and swordsman Taisen Deshimaru's definition of "Ki" as "the energy that creates energy" proves quite apt.
It must be noted that the term "Ki" itself is a deliberately vague term. Deep concepts tend to resist definition; and "Ki" very obviously is such a term. In his
Theoretical Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Manfred Porkert notes, "When Chinese thinkers are unwilling or unable to fix the quality of an energetic phenomenon, the character of qi 氣 inevitably flows from their brushes." Ki is something which must be felt and experienced in order to be grasped; and, in order to truly understand this phenomenon, one must do specific types of "Ki" training and do them faithfully for a very long time. Gradually (meaning: "after many years"), you will come to feel and understand this universal force.
So, to make a very long story short, the following might be the best answer to our original question "What is "Ki?":
" 氣 is 氣 "
