TCM Wellness · Unit 1: Qi · 中醫養生一

Where Does Qi Come From?

Part of your qi was given to you before you were born. The rest, you make every day, out of what you eat and breathe.
你的一部分氣，在你出生之前就給了你。剩下的，你每天靠吃的、呼吸的自己製造。

Unit 55: Where Does Qi Come From?

Chinese medicine traces qi back to two sources, and the distinction matters for understanding why some people seem to start life with more resilience than others, and why daily habits still matter regardless. The first source is what's inherited from a person's parents at conception, sometimes called prenatal qi — a fixed inheritance, stored in the kidney as the source qi discussed in the previous lesson, that can be nourished and protected but not directly topped up once life has begun.

中醫把氣追溯回兩個來源，這個區分之所以重要，是因為它解釋了為什麼有些人一開始人生就顯得比別人有韌性，也解釋了為什麼日常習慣不論如何都還是重要。第一個來源，是受孕時從父母那裡繼承來的，有時被稱為先天之氣——一份固定的遺產，儲藏在腎裡，就是上一課討論過的元氣，可以被滋養、被保護，但生命一旦開始，就沒辦法直接再補進去。

The second source is what's produced continuously after birth, called postnatal qi, generated from two ongoing inputs: the air taken in through breathing, processed by the lung, and the nutrients taken in through food, processed by the spleen and stomach. Unlike the fixed inheritance from before birth, postnatal qi is renewable — a person with an unremarkable prenatal inheritance who breathes clean air, eats well, and rests adequately can still build a strong overall supply of qi through this second channel.

第二個來源，是出生後持續產生的，叫做後天之氣，由兩個持續不斷的輸入生成：透過呼吸吸進來、由肺處理的空氣，以及透過飲食攝入、由脾胃處理的營養。跟出生前那份固定的遺產不同，後天之氣是可以再生的——一個先天遺產普通、但呼吸乾淨的空氣、吃得好、休息得夠的人，仍然能透過這第二個管道，建立起一個強健的整體氣的供應。

The relationship between the two explains a pattern seen across very different people: someone born with weaker prenatal qi but excellent daily habits can outperform someone born with a stronger inheritance but poor ones, because postnatal qi is doing more of the daily work than the fixed starting amount ever could alone. This is also why this course's lesson on restoring qi focused entirely on daily habits — sleep, food, moderation — rather than on anything a person could do about what they were given at birth.

這兩者之間的關係，解釋了在非常不同的人身上都能看到的一個模式：一個先天之氣較弱、但日常習慣極佳的人，可以表現得比一個先天遺產較強、但習慣不好的人更好，因為後天之氣做的日常工作，比那份固定的起始份量單獨能做的還要多。這也是為什麼這門課關於補氣的那一課，完全聚焦在日常習慣——睡眠、飲食、節制——而不是聚焦在一個人對出生時得到的東西能做些什麼。

Read aloud · 課文朗讀

Questions · 閱讀理解

According to the passage, what is prenatal qi, and where is it stored?

Prenatal qi is what's inherited from a person's parents at conception — a fixed inheritance stored in the kidney.

According to the passage, what two ongoing inputs generate postnatal qi, and which organs process them?

The air taken in through breathing (processed by the lung) and the nutrients taken in through food (processed by the spleen and stomach).

According to the last paragraph, why can someone with weaker prenatal qi but excellent daily habits outperform someone with a stronger inheritance but poor habits?

Because postnatal qi, generated continuously from daily habits, does more of the daily work than the fixed starting amount from prenatal qi ever could alone.

Words & Phrases · 生字及片語

conception(n.)受孕Prenatal care often begins soon after conception.產前照護通常在受孕後不久就開始。inheritance(n.)遺產；繼承Her calm temperament seemed like an inheritance from her mother.她沉穩的個性，似乎是從母親那裡繼承來的。top up(ph.)補充；加滿He topped up his water bottle before the hike.他在健行前把水瓶補滿了。renewable(adj.)可再生的Renewable energy sources include solar and wind power.可再生能源包括太陽能與風力發電。supply(n.)供應A steady supply of clean water is essential for health.穩定供應乾淨的水，對健康至關重要。outperform(v.)表現優於The smaller team outperformed expectations.這個較小的團隊表現優於預期。moderation(n.)節制Moderation in diet is often more sustainable than extreme rules.飲食上的節制，通常比極端的規則更能長久維持。

Quick Check · 小測驗

1. According to the passage, what is prenatal qi?

2. According to the passage, which organs process the two inputs that generate postnatal qi?

3. According to the last paragraph, why does this course's lesson on restoring qi focus on daily habits rather than prenatal inheritance?

This lesson explains a conceptual framework, not a way to assess your own constitution. Questions about inherited health tendencies should be discussed with a licensed doctor.
這是概念框架的說明，不是拿來評估自己體質的工具；關於先天健康傾向的問題，應該與合格醫師討論。