The Chi is not the Force…

[BabybetterDisney]

…in fact, there is no such thing as “the chi.” The original spelling is “qi”, but most Americans and many Chinese cannot pronounce the “q” consonant in Mandarin, so Disney is spelling it as chi. Qi is similar to chi, but you need to make the chi sound without rolling the tongue and just press your tongue against the roof of your mouth and force the air out.

The Chinese character “qi” means air, and it’s different from the Force in that qi is commonplace and no big deal. The word qi is not used by itself as in “the qi,” but is used in many everyday expressions. Some examples off the top of my head:

Shenqi: vainglory, arrogance. (“air of the gods”)
Nainaiqi: girly, effeminate (“air of grandma”)
Yongqi: bravery (“air of braveness”)
Shaqi: silliness (“air of foolishness”)
Yuanqi: vitality (“air of health”)
Zhongqi: lung capacity (“air of middle body”)
Yangqi: oxygen (“nurture air”)
Qingqi: hydrogen (“lightweight air”)
Qinao: angry (“air of frustration”)
Nuqi: anger (“air of anger”)
Qijibaihuai: extremely angry and frustrated
Meihaoqi: annoyed (“no good air”)
Qiwen: temperature (“warmness of air”)
Qiqiu: balloon (“ball of air”)
Liqi: strength (“force air”)
Kongqi: air (“air in space”)
Youqimeili: pathetic (“can breathe only, no other strength”)

So you can see, qi can refer to strength or anger, and it does not give anybody any particular skill.