What does Qigong mean?

Qigong 氣功 is a term which is used to describe a large number of skills from across China, all of which are related to strengthening our health and our bodies. Some have roots in Buddhism, some in Daoism, some in both. They all share a common root in that they teach us through movement and meditation how to understand our bodies and minds and to develop our internal health.

But what does the term “Qigong” actually mean?

A number of years ago, my Sigong, Grandmaster Michael Tse, wrote two articles about the meaning of the Chinese characters for “Qi” 氣 and “Gong” 功 and their connection to the combined term Qigong. I would greatly recommend reading them. In simple terms, we can say that “Qi” means energy from an object (though it has no fixed form) and “Gong” means work requiring skill. So together we can say that Qigong means ‘Qi gathered from work requiring skill’.

When we practice Qigong we are practicing exercises, which require skill to perform, in order to gather Qi to our bodies and our minds.