QIGONG (also spelled qi gong or chi kung) is an ancient Chinese practice combining meditation, controlled breathing, and gentle movements to cultivate life energy (qi). In word games, QIGONG is a rare 6-letter Q-without-U word worth 17 points in Scrabble, making it extremely valuable for strategic play.
No. QIGONG is not in the Scrabble-style word list used by our tools (proper nouns, abbreviations and most slang are excluded), so it cannot be played in Scrabble, Words With Friends or Wordfeud. If it were allowed, its tiles would add up to 17 points in Scrabble.
| Letter | Q | I | G | O | N | G | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrabble | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| Words With Friends | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 20 |
| Wordfeud | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19 |
Qigong represents the cultivation of life force—a 4,000-year-old Chinese practice that views the human body as an energy system capable of self-healing and transformation. Combining slow, flowing movements with focused breathing and meditative awareness, qigong bridges the physical and spiritual realms. Practitioners believe that by harmonizing qi (life energy) through specific postures and breathing patterns, one can achieve health, longevity, and spiritual enlightenment.
The term combines "qi" (vital energy, breath, or life force) with "gong" (cultivation, practice, or skill achieved through steady effort). In traditional Chinese medicine, qi flows through meridians—invisible channels connecting organs and systems. When qi flows freely, health flourishes; when blocked, illness arises. Qigong exercises aim to remove these blockages, strengthen qi, and balance yin and yang energies. This philosophy underlies acupuncture, herbal medicine, and martial arts.
Historically, qigong developed along several paths. Confucian scholars practiced it for moral cultivation and mental clarity. Daoist monks sought immortality through breathing exercises and energy circulation. Buddhist practitioners used qigong for spiritual awakening. Martial artists developed "hard qigong" for combat, cultivating internal power that could withstand blows or break objects. Medical qigong emerged as doctors prescribed specific exercises for various ailments.
"Qigong" entered English in the 1970s from Mandarin Chinese qìgōng (气功), combining qì (氣/气) meaning "air, breath, life force" with gōng (功) meaning "work, achievement, or skill through practice." The Wade-Giles romanization "chi kung" appeared earlier but lost favor to the pinyin "qigong." Qì itself derives from ancient Chinese pictographs showing steam rising from cooking rice, symbolizing transformative energy. Gōng's character combines "work" (工) with "strength" (力), implying achievement through effort. The compound term only became common in the 20th century; historically, practices were called daoyin, xingqi, or yangsheng.
Anagrams: no other word uses exactly the letters of QIGONG.
Words inside QIGONG: 14 shorter words can be made from these letters – highest scoring: QIGOINGGONGNOGGGIGIGGGINNOGGOIONINNO. See all words from QIGONG.