I. Righteous Qi and the Theory of Righteous Qi Deficiency as Pathogenesis

I. Righteous Qi and the Theory of Righteous Qi Deficiency as Pathogenesis

The body's righteous qi is also known as true qi. The "Lingshu·Cijie Zhenxie Pian" states: "True qi is what one receives from heaven and combines with food qi to fill the body." True qi encompasses both innate and acquired aspects; throughout history, medical scholars have attributed the innate aspect to the two kidneys, calling it yuan qi (or original qi), and the acquired aspect to the spleen and stomach, calling it zhong qi (or food qi). Part of the zhong qi combines with respiratory qi and accumulates in the sea of qi in the chest, known as zong qi. The "Lingshu·Xieke Pian" says: "Zong qi accumulates in the chest, emerges from the throat, runs through the heart vessels, and facilitates respiration." Thus, zong qi plays a role in both respiratory movement and circulatory power. Another part of the zhong qi originates in the middle jiao, flows within the vessels, and is gentle and smooth, known as ying qi; yet another part originates in the upper jiao, flows outside the vessels, and is soft, agile, and slippery, known as wei qi. It is thus evident that the body's righteous qi consists of yuan qi, zhong qi, zong qi, ying qi, and wei qi, with ying qi, wei qi, and zong qi being aspects of zhong qi.

Building on the "Neijing"'s emphasis on righteous qi deficiency as the cause of disease, medical scholars throughout history have gradually enriched this view through long-term clinical practice, ultimately forming the TCM theory of righteous qi deficiency as pathogenesis. For example, Jiang Hanzheng said: "Where evil gathers, qi must be deficient; evil takes advantage of the deficiency to enter, so deficiency is the root, and evil is the manifestation." Zhu Danxi stated: "Whenever evil invades, it is always because righteous qi is deficient, allowing evil to take hold. If righteous qi is strong, evil cannot enter on its own." Zhang Jingyue added: "There has never been a case where righteous qi recovers but evil does not retreat, nor has there ever been a case where righteous qi is exhausted but life does not end." These statements clarify TCM's view that righteous qi is the root of disease, thereby establishing the theory of righteous qi deficiency in TCM.