Editing Qi (section)

===Characters===
In the [[East Asian languages]], ''qì'' has three logographs:
*{{linktext|lang=zh|氣}} is the [[Traditional Chinese characters|traditional Chinese character]], Korean ''[[hanja]]'', and Japanese ''[[kyūjitai]]'' ("old character form") ''[[kanji]]''
*{{linktext|lang=zh|気}} is the Japanese ''[[shinjitai]]'' ("new character form") ''kanji''
*{{linktext|lang=zh|气}} is the [[simplified Chinese character]].
In addition, ''qì'' {{linktext|lang=zh|炁}} is an uncommon character especially used in writing [[Fulu|Daoist talismans]]. Historically, the word ''qì'' was generally written as {{lang|zh|气}} until the [[Han dynasty]] (206 BCE–220 CE), when it was replaced by the {{lang|zh|氣}} graph clarified with ''mǐ'' {{linktext|lang=zh|米}} "rice" indicating "steam (rising from rice as it cooks.)" and depicting the Traditional Chinese view of the transformative, changeable nature of existence and the universe.

This primary logograph {{lang|zh|气}}, the earliest written character for ''qì,'' consisted of three wavy horizontal lines seen in [[Shang dynasty]] (c. 1600–1046 BCE) [[oracle bone script]], [[Zhou dynasty]] (1046–256 BCE) [[Chinese bronze inscriptions|bronzeware script]] and [[large seal script]], and [[Qin dynasty]] (221–206 BCE) [[small seal script]]. These oracle, bronze, and seal scripts logographs {{lang|zh|气}} were used in ancient times as a [[phonetic loan character]] to write ''qǐ'' {{lang|zh|乞}} "plead for; beg; ask" which did not have an early character.

The vast majority of Chinese characters are classified as [[Phono-semantic compound|radical-phonetic characters]]. Such characters combine a semantically suggestive "[[radical (Chinese character)|radical characters]]" with a phonetic element approximating ancient pronunciation. For example, the widely known word ''dào'' {{linktext|lang=zh|道}} "the [[Tao|Dao]]; the way" graphically combines the [[Radical 162|"walk" radical]] {{lang|zh|辶}} with a ''shǒu'' {{lang|zh|首}} "head" phonetic. Although the modern ''dào'' and ''shǒu'' pronunciations are dissimilar, the [[Old Chinese]] ''*lˤuʔ-s'' {{lang|zh|道}} and ''*l̥uʔ-s'' {{lang|zh|首}} were alike. The [[regular script]] character ''qì'' {{linktext|lang=zh|氣}} is unusual because ''qì'' {{linktext|lang=zh|气}} is both the [[Radical 84|"air radical"]] and the phonetic, with ''mǐ'' {{lang|zh|米}} "rice" semantically indicating "steam; vapor".

This ''qì'' {{lang|zh|气}} "air/gas radical" was only used in a few native Chinese characters like ''yīnyūn'' {{lang|zh|氤氲}} "thick mist/smoke", but was also used to create new scientific [[Chemical elements in East Asian languages#Chinese|characters for gaseous chemical elements]]. Some examples are based on pronunciations in European languages: ''fú'' {{lang|zh|氟}} (with a ''fú'' {{lang|zh|弗}} phonetic) "[[fluorine]]" and ''nǎi'' {{lang|zh|氖}} (with a ''nǎi'' {{lang|zh|乃}} phonetic) "[[neon]]". Others are based on semantics: ''qīng'' {{lang|zh|氫}} (with a ''jīng'' {{lang|zh|巠}} phonetic, abbreviating ''qīng'' {{lang|zh|輕}} "light-weight") "[[hydrogen]] (the lightest element)" and ''lǜ'' {{lang|zh|氯}} (with a ''lù'' {{lang|zh|彔}} phonetic, abbreviating ''lǜ'' {{lang|zh|綠}} "green") "(greenish-yellow) [[chlorine]]".

''Qì'' {{lang|zh|氣}} is the phonetic element in a few characters such as ''kài'' {{lang|zh|愾}} "hate" with the [[Radical 61|"heart-mind radical"]] {{lang|zh|忄}}or {{lang|zh|心}}, ''xì'' {{lang|zh|熂}} "set fire to weeds" with the [[Radical 86|"fire radical"]] {{lang|zh|火}}, and ''xì'' {{lang|zh|餼}} "to present food" with the [[Radical 184|"food radical"]] {{lang|zh|食}}.

The first Chinese dictionary of characters, the ''[[Shuowen Jiezi]]''(121 CE) notes that the primary ''qì'' {{lang|zh|气}} is a [[Chinese character classification#Pictograms|pictographic character]] depicting {{lang|zh|雲气}} "cloudy vapors", and that the full {{lang|zh|氣}} combines {{lang|zh|米}} "rice" with the phonetic qi {{lang|zh|气}}, meaning {{lang|zh|饋客芻米}} "present provisions to guests" (later disambiguated as ''xì'' {{lang|zh|餼}}).

<gallery>
File:气-oracle.svg|[[Oracle bone script]] for ''qì'' depicting [[Three Treasures (traditional Chinese medicine)|the classical three treasures of Chinese philosophy]] 
File:气-bronze.svg|[[Chinese bronze inscriptions|Bronzeware script]] for ''qì'' 
File:气-bigseal.svg|[[Large seal script]] for ''qì'' 
File:气-seal.svg|[[Small seal script]] for ''qì'', simplified Chinese character {{lang|zh|气}} is based on it.
File:ki obsolete.svg|[[Traditional Chinese]] character {{lang|zh|氣}} ''qì'', also used in Korean [[hanja]]. In Japanese [[kanji]], it was used until 1946 when [[Tōyō kanji|it was simplified]] to {{lang|ja|気}}.
</gallery>