It has been translated as "vital energy", "life force", or "Breath" but no single English word will suffice.
This is because of the nature of Qi. It can have different manifestations in different situations.
Qi can even be material and is said to "condense" into matter. This is what occurs according to TCM, when a child is conceived and a human being develops. Qi condenses to form a material being. In pathology, when Qi flow slows down and stagnates, masses, lumps or tumors can appear.
The concept of Qi representing a continuum between immaterial and material is not so far from the concepts of matter and energy in modern physics. Matter is not "solid", but its particles are vibrating at various speeds; the faster they vibrate, the more rarefied the matter becomes. In the same way, the manifestations of Qi cover the continuum of matter-energy.
Characters for Qi mean "vapor" or "steam" and "uncooked rice".
This illustrates that Qi can appear in different states ranging from more immaterial like steam to dense and material like rice.
It also illustrates a CENTRAL IDEA in TCM, that the major source of Qi is transformed from the FOOD that we put into our bodies.
Ooo I really like how you brought food into this conversation. I feel like even with food there's such a wide array of what contains qi or energy and what doesn't. And then for it to be agreeable to one's body is also important. I wonder how qi would be described or differentiated in the context of the qi/energy of a Red Bull energy drink or a healthy meal of rice, beans, and vegetables. Is there poor quality qi? poor quality energy? hmmm
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