Qigong and chi kung refer to the same practice — they’re just different romanisations of the same Chinese characters. The variation in spelling comes from the Chinese dialect and the romanisation system used. Here’s a clear breakdown of what the terms mean and how they relate to each other.
Why So Many Spellings?
Chinese has multiple spoken dialects — Mandarin and Cantonese being the most widely encountered in the West — and more than one system exists for rendering Chinese sounds into the Roman alphabet. “Qigong” uses the Pinyin romanisation system (standard for Mandarin), while “Chi Kung” uses the older Wade-Giles system. Variations like Chi Gung, Chi Kong, Qui Gong, and Chi Gong all refer to the same thing — just with different degrees of phonetic accuracy.
Neither spelling is wrong. “Qigong” is now the more commonly used term internationally, and the more frequently searched online, which is why it’s used throughout this site. “Chi kung” appears parenthetically where relevant.
What Qigong Actually Means
Qigong is a contemporary term for Chinese internal energy arts that were historically known as Nei Gong. To understand Nei Gong it helps to know its counterpart:
- Wei Gong — external force training. Trains muscles, bones, and flesh (Jin, Gu, Bi) through techniques such as stretching, hitting objects, or using weights.
- Nei Gong — internal force training. Trains essence, energy, and spirit (Jing, Qi, Shen) through practices such as Zhan Zhuang, meditation, and dynamic qigong exercises.
The qigong taught at Qigong15 falls under the Nei Gong category.
Does the Spelling You Use Matter?
Not particularly. Whether you write qigong, chi kung, or any of the variants, you’re referring to the same art. What matters considerably more is whether the practice you’re doing delivers results — and that comes down to whether you’re practicing qigong as a skill or simply going through the physical movements. That distinction is covered in detail on the qigong vs qigong form page.
To learn more about what qigong is and what it offers, see the What is Qigong? page.
