天津英语翻译交流-中医之精、气、神

天津英语翻译交流-中医之精、气、神

练武术的人常说：“内练精气神，外练筋骨皮”。在中国传统文化里，对于精、气、神的修炼远远要比对于筋骨皮的修炼高明得多，也难得多。在中医里，精、气、神的概念也是非常重要而又复杂的。

People who practice martial arts always say, “Practice the inner essence, qi and spirit, and practice the outer sinew, bone and skin.” In traditional Chinese culture, the practice of essence, qi and spirit is far more brilliant abut also way too difficult than the practice of sinew, bone and skin. While in traditional Chinese medicine, the concepts of essence, qi and spirit are also very important as well as complicated.

气是构成万物的最基本物质。中医里“气”字用得很广泛，有元气、正气、邪气、营气、卫气、脏腑之气、经络之气……人体的气有三个来源：来源于父母的先天之气，也就是贮藏在肾中的精气；来源于脾胃的水谷之气，也就是后天摄入的营养；来源于天地的呼吸之气，也就是肺吸入的氧气。这些气组成了人体的气，并且不断运动变化，中医把气的运动称为“气机”。气在不同的脏腑，表现出不同的功能。气流布全身各处，走到脏腑就叫“脏腑之气”，至血脉内外则称“营卫之气”。气的“升降出入”运动失常，称为“气机不调”。

Qi is the most essential substance that constitutes all things on earth. The word “qi’ is widely used in the traditional Chinese medicine. There is source qi, healthy qi, evil qi, nutritive qi, defense qi, organ qi, channel qi…… There are three sources of qi of human body: the prenatal qi acquired from parents, that is the essential qi stored in the kidney; the grain and water qi coming from the spleen and stomach, that is the qi transformed from the nutrients taken; and the breathing qi from the heaven and earth, that is the qi transformed from the fresh air inhaled in the lung. These qis form the qi of human body and are in constant motion and variation. The motion of qi is called “functioning of qi” in traditional Chinese medicine. Qi performs different functions in different viscera. It flows everywhere in the body: when it flows into viscera, it is called “organ qi”; when it flows inside and outside of the blood vessel, it is called “nutritive and defense qi”; when it flows to the channels, it is called “channel qi”. The disorder of the “upbearing, downbearing, inward and outward movement” of qi is called”misfunctioning of qi”

气聚而成形则称之为“精”，类似于现在所说的物质。而“神”则代表了人的精神、思维、意识活动，这种活动也是气的运动变化的结果。换句话说，精和神都是气的表现形式，只不过一个有形，一个无形。

When qi gathers and takes shape, it forms into “essence”, which is similar to the substance we say now. The “spirit” represents people’s spirit, vitality and mental activities, and these activities are also the results of qi’s motion and variation. In other words, both essence and spirit are manifestations of qi; only that one has form and the other is formless.

中医常说养气，练气，就是通过一些具体的方法，调整身体里的气的运动，从而达到阴阳调和，精充神旺的目的。

Nourishing and practicing qi, which is often mentioned in TCM, means to adjust the qi’s motion in the body through some specific ways, so as to achieve the yin-yang harmony and a vigorous spirit.