“潛氣內轉”辨

Abstract

The character of Qianqineizhuan(潛氣內轉) originates from some vocalization that people sing by imitating musical instruments, which is different from Zhuanhou(轉喉), a technique of uttering words as the same tune as changing sound through throat. Qianqineizhuan(潛氣內轉) was becoming to be a structure method in the work of literature and art, especially till Qing Dynasty, such as the structure of characters and the layout in handwriting and the intermittent flow in literature. First, how to structure the shape and make the layout is the most important point for handwriting. The brushwork is neither no change nor loose. Something we cannot figure out exist there, as it’s be called Qi(氣). Whether or not there is Qi(氣), it determines the level of work. For the parallel prose, sentence meaning switching doesn't depend on the function word, but the content word. For that, the normal meaning of sentence is to be interrupted and it seems incoherent and indistinct. In fact, the purpose pulse doesn't lose all along. The way to link different parts together is not very obvious so that people remained for thousands years unconscious of it. Qianqineizhuan(潛氣內轉) came to light, then brought the parallel prose and classic prose into the new world because it showed clearly direction for writing. At the same time, we can also find the same things in Ci-ology field. Jiang Kui(姜夔) and Wu Wenying(吳文英), the famous writer of Ci(詞), their writing ways couldn't get their meaning across for extraordinary arrangement of characters. Since content word replaced function word, the sentences couldn't provide us distinct and well-defined meanings. It’s be called Anzhuan(暗轉) or Neizhuan(內轉), similar to Qianqineizhuan(潛氣內轉). Qianqineizhuan(潛氣內轉), regarded as the most important skill of two, has developed into a new Qi(氣) theory by modern researcher's language misunderstanding and borrowing, differentiated from the ancient prose, and enriched the connotation of traditional Qi(氣) theory.