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Concept
Xingqi (circulating breath)
Summary
Chinese (行氣, "circulating / breath") is a group of breath-control techniques that have been developed and practiced from the Warring States period (c. 475-221 BCE) to the present. Examples include Traditional Chinese medicine, Daoist meditation, breathing calisthenics, embryonic breathing, internal alchemy, internal exercises, deep-breathing exercises, and slow-motion martial art. Since the polysemous keyword can mean natural "breath; air" and/or alleged supernatural "vital breath; life force", signifies "circulating breath" in meditational contexts or "activating vital breath" in medical contexts.
(行氣) is a linguistic compound of two Chinese words:
(行) has English translation equivalents of:
to march in order, as soldiers; walk forward ...
to move, proceed, act; perform(ance); actor, agent; follower ...
to engage in; to conduct; to effect, put into practice, implement ...
pre-verbal indicator of future action, "is going to [verb]."
temporary, transient ...
to leave, depart from. ... (Kroll 2017: 509–510; condensed)
In Standard Chinese phonology, this character 行 is usually pronounced as rising second tone above, but also can be pronounced as falling fourth tone (行) meaning "actions, conduct, behavior, custom(ary); [Buddhism] conditioned states, conditioned things [translation of Sanskrit ]" or second tone (行) "walkway, road; column, line, row, e.g., of soldiers, serried mountains, written text".
(氣) has equivalents of:
effluvium, vapor(ous); fumes; exhalation, breath(e).
vital breath, pneuma, energizing breath, lifeforce, material force. ... vitality, energy; zest, spirit; zeal, gusto; inspiration; aspiration. power, strength; impelling force.
air, aura, atmosphere; climate, weather. ... flavor; smell, scent.
disposition, mood, spirit; temper(ament); mettle, fortitude. ... (Kroll 2017: 358; condensed)
In terms of Chinese character classification, (行) was originally a pictograph of "crossroads", and (氣) is a compound ideograph with (气, "air; gas; vapor") and (米, "rice"), "气 steam rising from 米 rice as it cooks" (Bishop 2016).
Official source
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