氣交 简体 气交

qì jiāo

Meeting of the qi · qi jiao

Also rendered: The meeting of the qi (this site; literal, and it keeps 交 as a crossing rather than as a boundary) · Qi jiao (transliteration; used when the term is being discussed as a term rather than described)

Reviewed · 2026-10-06

At a glance

Pinyin
qì jiāo
Simplified
气交
Literal
氣 qì — the activity of a thing rather than the thing itself; 交 jiāo — to cross, to meet, to hand over (《說文》: 交,交脛也 — legs crossed, and from that, anything that crosses or joins). 氣交 is where the qi of heaven and the qi of earth cross: 上下之位,氣交之中,人之居也. Four occurrences, and the chapter's answer to what a human being is. Asked what the use of all this measuring is, Qi Bo answers with three objects of study: 言天者求之本,言地者求之位,言人者求之氣交 — speak of heaven and seek the root, speak of earth and seek the position, speak of the human being and seek the meeting of the qi.
Shuowen
**「氣」讀 qì,本篇82見**;**「交」讀 jiāo,本篇4見;「氣交」4見**;**《說文》:交,交脛也;引申為交接、相會之義**;**「氣交」二字連言,本篇凡4見**

In brief

The region between the qi of heaven above and the qi of earth below, and the place the chapter assigns the human being to. It is not a boundary but a habitation: 上下之位,氣交之中,人之居也. The received line the chapter then quotes puts a hinge in the middle of it — above the heavenly pivot heaven governs, below it earth governs — and says that in the region where the qi meet, the qi of the human follows and the ten thousand things go by it. Everything the chapter has measured up to this point — the steps, the ke, the initial and the middle — is measured so that this place can be found.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The graphs 氣交
氣者天地之氣,交者相會之處
言人者求之氣交 — Suwen 68
2
What it is between 上下之位,氣交之中
上為天位,下為地位,人居其中
上下之位,氣交之中,人之居也 — Suwen 68
3
Where the hinge sits 天樞之上,天氣主之
天樞者,氣交之中樞
天樞之上,天氣主之;天樞之下,地氣主之 — Suwen 68
4
What follows from it 氣交之分,人氣從之
人氣順氣交之分,萬物亦然
氣交之分,人氣從之,萬物由之 — Suwen 68
5
How it is divided 初者地氣也,中者天氣也
初中者,分氣交為二之法
初者,地氣也,中者,天氣也 — Suwen 68
6
Why it is the answer 言人者求之氣交
求人者不求本、不求位,而求其交
言天者求之本,言地者求之位,言人者求之氣交 — Suwen 68

Occurrences in the classics

Passages where the term does real work, with the original, pinyin and English on the same line.

Display
4 passages
Suwen 68 Suwen 68 · 六微㫖大論 Read in context →
歧伯曰:上下之位,氣交之中,人之居也。故曰:天樞之上,天氣主之;天樞之下,地氣主之。氣交之分,人氣從之,萬物由之。此之謂也。 歧伯曰:上下之位,气交之中,人之居也。故曰:天枢之上,天气主之;天枢之下,地气主之。气交之分,人气从之,万物由之。此之谓也。
Qí bó yuē: shàng xià zhī wèi, qì jiāo zhī zhōng, rén zhī jū yě. Gù yuē: tiān shū zhī shàng, tiān qì zhǔ zhī; tiān shū zhī xià, dì qì zhǔ zhī. Qì jiāo zhī fēn, rén qì cóng zhī, wàn wù yóu zhī. Cǐ zhī wèi yě.
Qi Bo said: between the positions above and below, in the midst of the meeting of the qi, is where the human being dwells. Hence it is said: above the heavenly pivot, the qi of heaven governs; below the heavenly pivot, the qi of earth governs. In the region where the qi meet, the qi of the human follows and the ten thousand things go by it. This is what that means.
**「氣交」本篇4見,此段居其二**;**「天樞」本篇2見,皆在此段所引「故曰」之文內**;**「居」讀 jū,本篇2見;人者居於氣交之中**;**「人氣」本篇1見,止在此句**;**此段是本篇答「何謂氣交」之文,上承第二十六段「言人者求之氣交」**
素問·氣交變大論 Suwen 69 · 氣交變大論 Read in context →
帝曰:善。所謂精光之論,大聖之業,宣明大道,通於無窮,究於無極也。余聞之,善言天者,必應於人;善言古者,必驗於今;善言氣者,必彰於物;善言應者,同天地之化;善言化言變者,通神明之理。非夫子孰能言至道歟?乃擇良兆而藏之靈室,每旦讀之,命曰氣交變,非齊戒不敢發,慎傳也。 帝曰:善。所谓精光之论,大圣之业,宣明大道,通于无穷,究于无极也。余闻之,善言天者,必应于人;善言古者,必验于今;善言气者,必彰于物;善言应者,同天地之化;善言化言变者,通神明之理。非夫子孰能言至道欤?乃择良兆而藏之灵室,每旦读之,命曰气交变,非斋戒不敢发,慎传也。
Dì yuē: shàn. Suǒ wèi jīng guāng zhī lùn, dà shèng zhī yè, xuān míng dà dào, tōng yú wú qióng, jiū yú wú jí yě. Yú wén zhī, shàn yán tiān zhě, bì yìng yú rén; shàn yán gǔ zhě, bì yàn yú jīn; shàn yán qì zhě, bì zhāng yú wù; shàn yán yìng zhě, tóng tiān dì zhī huà; shàn yán huà yán biàn zhě, tōng shén míng zhī lǐ. Fēi fū zǐ shú néng yán zhì dào yú? Nǎi zé liáng zhào ér cáng zhī líng shì, měi dàn dú zhī, mìng yuē qì jiāo biàn, fēi zhāi jiè bù gǎn fā, shèn chuán yě.
Huang Di said: good. This is what is called the discourse of essential light, the work of the great sage: it proclaims and makes bright the great way, reaching into the endless and fathoming the boundless. I have heard it said that he who speaks well of heaven must find its answer in the human being; he who speaks well of antiquity must find its proof in the present; he who speaks well of the qi must find it displayed in things; he who speaks well of answering is at one with the transformation of heaven and earth; he who speaks well of transformation and of change penetrates the pattern of spirit brightness. Who but you, master, could speak the utmost way? So I have chosen a good omen and laid it away in the chamber of the spirit, reading it every morning; it is named the Meeting of the Qi and Change. Without fasting and purification I dare not open it — hand it on with care.
「乃擇良兆而藏之靈室,每旦讀之,命曰氣交變,非齊戒不敢發,慎傳也」——**「氣交」本篇1見,止此一見,即篇題「氣交變」之所出**;**本篇「氣之交變」1見,在第三十六段「卒然而動者,氣之交變也」**;**本目所收是第六十八篇上下之位、氣交之中;此則以之名篇,指氣交之變**;**「氣」讀 qì、「交」讀 jiāo**
素問·四氣調神大論 Suwen 2 · 四氣調神大論 Read in context →
夏三月,此謂蕃秀。天地氣交,萬物華實。夜卧早起,無厭於日,使志無怒,使華英成秀,使氣得泄,若所愛在外。此夏氣之應,養長之道也。逆之則傷心,秋爲痎瘧,奉收者少,冬至重病。 夏三月,此谓蕃秀。天地气交,万物华实。夜卧早起,无厌于日,使志无怒,使华英成秀,使气得泄,若所爱在外。此夏气之应,养长之道也。逆之则伤心,秋为痎疟,奉收者少,冬至重病。
Xià sān yuè, cǐ wèi fán xiù. tiān dì qì jiāo, wàn wù huā shí. yè wò zǎo qǐ, wú yàn yú rì, shǐ zhì wú nù, shǐ huā yīng chéng xiù, shǐ qì dé xiè, ruò suǒ ài zài wài. cǐ xià qì zhī yìng, yǎng zhǎng zhī dào yě. nì zhī zé shāng xīn, qiū wéi jiē nüè, fèng shōu zhě shǎo, dōng zhì zhòng bìng.
The three months of summer are called flourishing and fair. The qi of heaven and earth intermingle; the ten thousand things flower and set fruit. Sleep at night and rise early, do not weary of the sun, keep the will free from anger, let the flowering brilliance come to its bloom, and let the qi find its outlet, as though what one loved were outside. This is the answer to the qi of summer, and it is the way of nourishing growth. Going against it harms the heart; in autumn there is jie malaria, there is little to hand on to what must gather in, and at the winter solstice the illness is grave.
「天地氣交,萬物華實」——夏三月之氣;天氣下降,地氣上騰,二氣相交而萬物華實;**「氣交」本篇1見**
Suwen 70 Suwen 70 · 五常政大論 Read in context →
流衍之紀,是謂封藏。寒司物化,天地嚴凝,藏政以布,長令不揚。其化凜,其氣堅,其政謐,其令流注,其動漂泄沃涌,其德凝慘寒雰,其變冰雪霜雹,其榖豆稷,其畜彘牛,其果栗棗,其色黑丹黅,其味鹹苦甘,其象冬,其經足少陰太陽,其藏腎心,其蟲鱗倮,其物濡滿,其病脹。上羽而長,氣不化也。政過則化氣大舉,而埃昏氣交,大雨時降,邪傷腎也。 流衍之纪,是谓封藏。寒司物化,天地严凝,藏政以布,长令不扬。其化凛,其气坚,其政谧,其令流注,其动漂泄沃涌,其德凝惨寒雰,其变冰雪霜雹,其谷豆稷,其畜彘牛,其果栗枣,其色黑丹黅,其味咸苦甘,其象冬,其经足少阴太阳,其藏肾心,其虫鳞倮,其物濡满,其病胀。上羽而长,气不化也。政过则化气大举,而埃昏气交,大雨时降,邪伤肾也。
Liú yǎn zhī jì, shì wèi fēng cáng. Hán sī wù huà, tiān dì yán níng, zàng zhèng yǐ bù, zhǎng lìng bù yáng. Qí huà lǐn, qí qì jiān, qí zhèng mì, qí lìng liú zhù, qí dòng piāo xiè wò yǒng, qí dé níng cǎn hán fēn, qí biàn bīng xuě shuāng báo, qí gǔ dòu jì, qí chù zhì niú, qí guǒ lì zǎo, qí sè hēi dān jīn, qí wèi xián kǔ gān, qí xiàng dōng, qí jīng zú shào yīn tài yáng, qí zàng shèn xīn, qí chóng lín luǒ, qí wù rú mǎn, qí bìng zhàng. Shàng yǔ ér zhǎng, qì bù huà yě. Zhèng guò zé huà qì dà jǔ, ér āi hūn qì jiāo, dà yǔ shí jiàng, xié shāng shèn yě.
The era of Spreading Flow is called sealing and storing: cold governs the transformation of beings, heaven and earth are sternly congealed, the governance of storage is laid out, and the command of growth is not raised. Its transformation cold and stern, its qi firm, its governance quiet, its command flowing and pouring, its movement drifting, leaking, watering and welling, its virtue congealed bleakness and cold fog, its change ice, snow, frost and hail, its grain beans and panicled millet, its domestic animal the pig and the ox, its fruit the chestnut and the jujube, its colour black, vermilion and yellow, its flavour salty, bitter and sweet, its image winter, its channels the foot lesser yin and greater yang, its viscera the kidney and heart, its creature the scaly and the naked, its thing moist and full, its illness distension. Where the upper is yu growth cannot transform. If its governance goes too far the qi of transformation is greatly raised, dust darkens and the qi intermixes, great rain falls in its season, and evil injures the kidney.
**「氣交」本篇1見,止在流衍之紀「而埃昏氣交」**;**本站原引《氣交變大論》之篇題;此篇為「埃昏氣交」,言氣之相交**

Compounds built on this term

天樞
tiān shū
the heavenly pivot
本篇2見;氣交之中樞,分天氣地氣於上下
人氣
rén qì
the human qi
本篇1見;氣交之分,人氣從之
初中
chū zhōng
the initial and the middle
本篇3見;分氣交為二之法,初為地氣、中為天氣
上下之位
shàng xià zhī wèi
the positions above and below
本篇1見;氣交即在其二中之間

How it has been translated

Every rendering below is a decision about which reader is being addressed. There is no neutral option.

This sitethe meeting of the qiliteral from 氣 and 交; what is between the two is a place a person lives in, not a line drawn between two things
Transliterationqi jiaohow the phrase appears in writing on the 運氣 chapters; right about the referent, and it drops the sense of crossing that makes 交 the right graph
Descriptivethe qi intersectioncommon, and it reads as geometry: the chapter's point is that this is where the human being dwells

Entry status

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2026-10-06

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