Taxonomy of meanings for 氣:　　

Additional information about 氣

說文解字: 【氣】，饋客芻米也。从米、气聲。《春秋傳》曰：齊人來氣諸矦。 【許旣切】 【(䊠)】、氣或从旣。 【餼】，氣或从食。

Criteria
• AIR
  

  [ABSTRACT/CONCRETE]

  [COMMON/RARE]

  [GENERAL/SPECIALISED]

  [IMMOBILE/MOBILE]

  1. Fēng 風 "wind" is primarily air-in-motion, but does sometimes seems to refer to what we would call "air", as in ZHUANG 1.

  CONCRETE, [MOBILE!]; [[COMMON]]

  2. Qì 氣 "ether" is typically more abstract than English "air" and refers to constitutive energies underlying both air and wind as well as fog, dew, rivers, mountains and so on. The word is also the standard word for "breath".

  [ABSTRACT]; [[COMMON]]

  3. Fēn 氛 usually refers to vapour as manifestation of auspicious or inauspicious occurrences, and the word is marginal in this series.

  [SPECIALISED]; [[RARE]]

  NB: The abstract notion of "air" as such is not currently focussed on in early Chinese literature.

• GAS
  

  氣？

• MIST
  

  1. The current general word for billowing mist and fog, especially as the medium in which dragons and the like are roaming, is wù 霧.

  2. Xiá 霞 refers to misty, rosy diffuse clouds.

  Qì 氣 is sometimes used to refer to the misty substance that wù 霧 is made up of.

• WEATHER
  

  There is no commonly used general concept for the weather in pre-Buddhist Chinese. The closest we come is perhaps qì 氣 as in ZUO 天有六氣, but consider the whole passage:

  天有六氣， (In the same way) there are six heavenly influences,

  降生五味， which descend and produce the five tastes,

  發為五色， go forth in the five colours,

  徵為五聲。 and are verified in the five notes;

  淫生六疾。 but when they are in excess, they produce the six diseases.

  六氣曰陰、陽、風、雨、晦、明也， Those six influences are denominated the yin, the yang, wind, rain, obscurity, and brightness.

  分為四時， In their separation, they form the four seasons;

  序為五節， in their order, they form the five (elementary) terms.

  過則為菑： When any of them is in excess, there ensues calamity.

  陰淫寒疾， An excess of the yin leads to diseases of the cold;

  陽淫熱疾， of the yang, to diseases of heat;

  風淫末疾， of wind, to diseases of the extremities;

  雨淫腹疾， of rain, to diseases of the belly;

  晦淫惑疾， of obscurity, to diseases of delusion;

  明淫心疾。 of brightness to diseases of the mind.

• ENERGY
  

  1. The most general current word for material vital cosmic energies of any kind is qì 氣.

  2. Yīn 陰 "dark female energies" and yáng 陽 "bright male energies" are the two main categories of vital cosmic energies increasingly introduced from late Warring States times onwards.

  3. Jīng 精 "subtle vital essence" refers to the crucial subtle variety of the material vital cosmic energies.

  4. Shén 神 refers to the ultimately refined quintessential subtle variety of the material vital cosmic energies, and the degree of subtlety is superior to that of the jīng 精 "subtle vital essence".

  5. Líng 靈 refers to the almost disembodied supernatural subtle variety of the vital cosmic energies that define life on earth.

  6. Jīn 祲 is a rare archaic word which refers primarily to inauspicious cosmic energies manifesting themselves as evil omens, but the word is occasionally used generally in a neutral sense.

  7. Fēn 氛 is a rare word which refers primarily to inauspicious or auspicious cosmic energies, but the word is occasionally used specifically in the negative sense.

• BODY
  

  [[CONGERIES]]

  1. The general word for the body versus the heart and soul is xíng 形 (ant. xīn 心 ) but note that this word also applies generally to non-human physical shape..

  2. Qū 軀 "physical frame" refers to body as seen from the outside, objectively, not as part of the person, and as constituted by flesh and bones.

  3. Shēn 身 (which also means "person") specifically refers to the main trunk of the body typically excluding head, arms and legs.

  4. Tǐ 體 refers to body as constituted by its various parts, in particular the limbs, and when it refers to the body as a whole the reference is to the posture and carriage of the body.

  5. Zhī 肢 refers specifically to the limbs and cannot be used to refer to other parts of the body at all. See LIMB

  6. Gōng 躬 is an elevated word which can be used to refer to a person as a whole, but also specifically to the body. See PERSON

  7. Xíng tǐ 形體 is the standard current binome for the physical body of both men and animals, including the body after death, among other things as the container of vital energy qì 氣.

  NB: Shī 尸 refers specifically to the dead body. See CORPSE

• MIND
  

  1. The general word for the mental sphere of man is xīn 心 "HEART> mind" (ant. xíng 形 "physical shape, body", tǐ 體 "limbs, body").

  2. Zhì 志 (ant. shēn 身 "body") never refers to the faculty of the will, but is the agency through which man has his highest aspirations in life.

  3. Qì 氣 can be used to refer specifically to the life-sustaining vital biological energies contained in the body as opposed to the phsyical make-up through bones, flesh, sinews, etc, of the body itself.

• COSMIC FORCE
  

  1. The most general term for physical principles operative in the dynamics of natural processes is qì 氣.

  2. Yīn 陰 refers to the female, dark principle in Chinese naturalist and cosmological speculation.

  3. Yáng 陽 refers to the male, bright principle in Chinese naturalist and cosmological speculation.

  4. Dào 道 is sometimes used to refer to the quintessential material/energetic basis for cosmic development.

  5. Lǐ 理 is sometimes used as a general concept referring to all manner of basic cosmic forces.

• DREAM
  

  1. The current standard word for a dream is mèng 夢.

  2. Xiōng mèng 凶夢 refers to a nightmare.

  ZHOULI 3 占夢：掌其歲時，觀天地之會，辨陰陽之氣。以日月星辰占六夢之吉凶，一曰正夢，二曰噩夢，三曰思夢，四曰寤夢，五曰喜夢，六曰懼夢。季冬，聘王夢，獻吉夢于王，王拜而受之。乃舍萌于四方，以贈惡夢，遂令始難驅疫。

• COURAGE
  

  1. The standard general word for courage is yǒng 勇 (ant. nuò 懦 "pusillanimousness, chicken-liveredness"), which refers to positive boldness evinced in the face of danger or risk. Cf. fortitudo

  2. Hàn 悍 (ant. qiè 怯 "fearfulness") is foolhardiness and recklessness under conditions of danger or risk. Cf. Latin ferocia

  3. Gǎn 敢 (ant. qiè 怯 "fearfulness") is the ability of an individual to take considered reasonable risks where appropriate or where required by ritual propriety.

  4. Guǒ 果 and duàn 斷 (ant. xū1 需 "hestant") is general resoluteness as an attitude towards the conduct of one's affairs. Cf. Latin audacia

  5. Zhì 志 "morale, fighting spirit" and the rarer wǔ 武 is the courageous warlike attitude of a whole group. Cf. Latin acrimonia, animus

  6. Qì 氣 "morale, fighting spirit" is typically the morale of an individual but can also occasionally be used of groups. Cf. Latin spiritus

Word relations
• Subject: (AIR)變/CHANGE The most current general words for objective and typically abrupt change are biàn 變 "change from one's original state to become something different" (ant. héng �� "remain constant"). 1 Attribution
• Ant: (ENERGY)神/SOUL Shén 神 is primarily a subtle physical substance which gives man his spiritual dimension (ant. xíng 形 "body")), and the body xíngtǐ 形體 is the abode shè 舍 of the soul. 1 Attribution
• Object: (BREATHE)定/FIX The current general word for fixing something in any objective and interpersonal way, concrete or abstract is dìng 定. 1 Attribution
• Object: (ENERGY)治/CONTROL Zhì 治 refers to the orderly and principled long-term control of something. 1 Attribution
• Object: (BREATHE)治/CONTROL Zhì 治 refers to the orderly and principled long-term control of something. 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (ENERGY)精/TENUOUS
• Epithet: (AIR)暖 / 暖/HOT Nuǎn 暖／煖 (ant. liáng 涼"cool") is very mild heat. 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (AIR)寒/COLD The standard current word referring to coldness is hán 寒 (ant. standardly shǔ 暑, but also wēn 溫, rè 熱 "warm"). 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (ENERGY)心/MIND The general word for the mental sphere of man is xīn 心 "HEART> mind" (ant. xíng 形 "physical shape, body", tǐ 體 "limbs, body"). 2 Attributions
• Epithet: (ENERGY)和/HARMONY The general word for bringing something into a state where it is well in tune or keeping in tune with something is hé 和. 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (ENERGY)元/BASIS1 Attribution
• Epithet: (ENERGY)體/BODY Tǐ 體 refers to body as constituted by its various parts, in particular the limbs, and when it refers to the body as a whole the reference is to the posture and carriage of the body. 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (MIST)雲 / 云/CLOUD The current general word for a cloud is yún 雲. 3 Attributions
• Epithet: (ENERGY)人/HUMAN The dominant term is rén 人 which refers to any human. 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (COSMIC FORCE)陰陽/DEVELOPMENT1 Attribution
• Epithet: (COSMIC FORCE)天地/UNIVERSE The most current word for the whole universe is tiān dì 天地 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (ENERGY)天/HEAVEN1 Attribution
• Epithet: (COSMIC FORCE)地/EARTH The current general term for the earth or land is dì 地 (ant. tiān 天"Heaven"). 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (COSMIC FORCE)天/HEAVEN1 Attribution
• Epithet: (ENERGY)神/SOUL Shén 神 is primarily a subtle physical substance which gives man his spiritual dimension (ant. xíng 形 "body")), and the body xíngtǐ 形體 is the abode shè 舍 of the soul. 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (COSMIC FORCE)春/SEASON1 Attribution
• Epithet: (COSMIC FORCE)正/CORRECT The standard word for conformity with an established standard of behavioural or physical allignment zhèng 正(ant. xié 邪). 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (COSMIC FORCE)精/TENUOUS1 Attribution
• Epithet: (COSMIC FORCE)秋/SEASON1 Attribution
• Contrast: (ENERGY)心/MIND The general word for the mental sphere of man is xīn 心 "HEART> mind" (ant. xíng 形 "physical shape, body", tǐ 體 "limbs, body"). 2 Attributions
• Contrast: (BREATHE)心/MIND The general word for the mental sphere of man is xīn 心 "HEART> mind" (ant. xíng 形 "physical shape, body", tǐ 體 "limbs, body"). 1 Attribution
• Contrast: (AIR)風/WIND The dominant word for wind is fēng 風. 1 Attribution
• Contrast: (COSMIC FORCE)天地/UNIVERSE The most current word for the whole universe is tiān dì 天地 1 Attribution
• Assoc: (ENERGY)血/BLOOD2 Attributions
• Assoc: (ENERGY)志/MIND Zhì 志 (ant. shēn 身 "body") never refers to the faculty of the will, but is the agency through which man has his highest aspirations in life. 1 Attribution
• Assoc: (COSMIC FORCE)血/BLOOD1 Attribution
• Synon: (BREATHE)息/BREATHE The current standard words for breathing are xí 息 "breathe" and hū xī 呼吸 "breathe out and in", and the latter word refers also more generally to taking in things liquids through the mouth, ant. tǔ 吐 "spit out". 1 Attribution
• Oppos: (ENERGY)神/SOUL Shén 神 is primarily a subtle physical substance which gives man his spiritual dimension (ant. xíng 形 "body")), and the body xíngtǐ 形體 is the abode shè 舍 of the soul. 1 Attribution