Quote Originally Posted by Pork Chop View Post
I've always wondered how close Chinese qi is with Japanese ki (気).
I believe they're the same character, but I imagine that the usage is a bit different.
In Japanese, 気 is a bit esoteric, but not so abstract as to require that much discussion (at least for people who speak the language).
The term/kanji/rootword 気 implies atmosphere, mood, air, nature/disposition, intention/motivation, appearance of/feeling of, spirit, mind, or heart.
You say 気を入れる (ki wo ireru) to mean "put some effort into it" - or "apply a little elbow grease".
やる気 (yaruki); is like your motivation to do something.
It's basically the meeting point of mood, attitude, focus, intention, spirit, disposition, and atmosphere.
Outside of kiai masters, you don't really hear it being used to describe invisible lightning bolts or magic death rays.

I've always thought of "internal" as just good body mechanics, maybe coupled with coordinating your movements with your breath.
I'm amused when "internal" masters make fun of western styles like boxing, calling it "external" and lacking skill, and then proceed to mimic boxers with mechanics that would get them laughed out of most gyms.
Sure, maybe I've only got 4 basic punches in my "sport", or 8 "limbs" used in about 20 different ways; but i can break down the mechanics of what every applicable joint is doing at every microsecond during each of those movements.
This is more or less my 'Chinese' understanding of 'qi.' I don't know why everyone has to make it so complicated (well, I kind of do, but I'd rather not think about it).