Richard Robinson wrote:

Interesting... The last time I heard this particular argument, it was the
other way around (chi internal, ki external).  I would love to hear where
the difference in chi/ki came from as I've always been of the
understanding that they were the same, as goodwin pointed out earlier.  
Especially since they are the exact same kanji!

   

In our (the Real ) world there is no difference. Both are simply 
different spellings of the same wording English translation. My 
understanding is both are derived from Ki and both are pronounced Kee or 
Key. Just two ways of translating the same basic idea.

However in manga and in anime the two are often used as I described. 
Sometimes they are used in reverse, depending on who does the 
translation and how the the original Japanese and/or Chinese is used.

Frankly there isn't much more evidence in the real world for Ki than 
there is for magic or psionics. Some evidence but not a lot. I mean if 
someone could do what Ranma does in the real world, well lets say World 
War Two would probably have been substantially different. Picture Japan 
attacking a society with Chinese Amazons defending it. For that matter 
Japan wouldn't have needed guns much either. 

I am not saying Ki doesn't exist, all I am saying  is it is probably 
quite different from what we see in the stories.

 

Qigong, or the training of your internal energy, has been studied and
developed in China over the last four thousand years. There are three
forms of qi: Tian Qi (Heaven Chi), Di Qi (Earth Chi), and Ren Qi
(Human Chi). The most influential book on the subject was Yi Jing,
the Book of Changes, written in 1122 B.C.. Studying Heaven Chi
was important because it affected the weather. They recorded
patterns that can partly be attributed now to the solar cycle the
sun goes through. Earth Chi was important in determining where
to live, where to build the house, which way it should face, etc..
This still lives on today as Feng Shui. Human Chi was the most
studied of the three. This was necessary to find your natural cycle
to be a part of nature, leading to health and longevity. This was
referred to as Dao, The Natural Way.

The narrow definition of Qigong is the study of the Qi circulating
in the human body. Because the body is a part of nature, you have
to study how the body relates to Heaven Chi and Earth Chi. The
flows of energy through the body the Chinese studied are generally
now believed to be what is called bioelectricity today. Modern
science validates much of the old studies. For example, the practice
of Marrow Washing Qigong stresses the bones and muscles in
certain ways. In the 1960's, studies showed the bones to be
piezoelectric; that is, they produce electric current when stressed.

I could go on, but there's really too much for just an email. You
should get some good books on the subject if you're really interested.
So, is something like Ranma possible? Shooting balls of chi wouldn't
seem to be, but many martial artists do use their bodies' energy to
increase their speed and strength. I've seen little kids shatter rocks -
not cinder blocks, but solid stones. Medical science is only now starting
to understand how many processes in the body occur. What was
psuedo-science yesterday often is revealed to have a valid basis.
Wild and crazy ideas like bread molds killing bacteria... who'd
believe something silly like that? Today, we casually shrug off the
miracle of anti-biotics.



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