Explaining Qi/energy

[sanjuro_ronin]

They did refer to it as energy sanjuro, the nei yeh, the oldest known book on Tao discusses the benefits and uses of "vital energy" and "vital essence" that is produced from "vital energy".

I

The vital essence of all things:
It is this that brings them to life.
It generates the five grains below
And becomes the constellated stars above.
When flowing amid the heavens and the earth
We call it ghostly and numinous.
When stored in the chest of human beings,
We call them sages.

II

Therefore this vital energy is:
Bright!--as if ascending the heavens;
Dark!--as if entering the abyss;
Vast!--as if dwelling in an ocean'
Lofty!--as if dwelling on a mountain peak.

Therefore this vital energy
Cannot be halted by force,
Yet it can be secured by inner power [Te].
Cannot be summoned by speech,
Yet can be welcomed by the awareness.
Reverently hold onto it and do not lose it:
This is called "developing inner power."
When inner power develops and wisdom emerges,
The myriad things will, to the last one, be grasped.

VIII

If you can be aligned and be tranquil,
Only then can you be stable.
With a stable mind at your core,
With the eyes and ears acute and clear,
And with the four limbs firm and fixed,
You can thereby make a lodging place for the vital essence.
The vital essence; it is the essence of vital energy.
When the vital energy is guided, it [the vital essence] is generated,
But when it is generated, there is thought,
When there is thought, there is knowledge,
But when there is knowledge, then you must stop.
Whenever the forms of the mind have excessive knowledge,
You lose your vitality.

The equating of Chi with air is a metaphor for its numinous nature. Chi may be gathered from other sources besides air. It is also found in food, sunlight, moonlight, and natural environments in general.

Thanks Scott.
Even though I place "air" in quotation marks I do believe that Chi is far more "air" than energy, we are just exchanging views so let me add this example:
When you die, you have no energy, energy cease to exist in your body ( eventually) and what keeps you alive? "air", so what sustains energy? "air" and if chi is energy what sustains chi? Air.

Not saying I am right, just saying what I think.