Qi (pronouced chi) is energy; qi is an invisible force, qi is air.  It is one of the important concepts in the study of Feng Shui.  Qi comes from all directions and is everywhere in the space we live in.  Like electricity and wind, we know they are there but cannot be seen nor touched.  However, we can feel the qi.   When qi is absent, there is no life.   This is illustrated when we walk into a house, a shop, an office, or just any living spaces; we immediately feel welcome or inversely, we turn and walk away.  

This brings us to the quality of qi which can be beneficial or harmful.  Beneficial qi is called Sheng Qi. When a place is full of life, looks beautiful and clean, it is filled with Sheng qi.   Whereas when the room is dirty and shabby, lifeless, air is stagnate, we feel uncomfortable and sometimes even frightened, it is filled with Sha Qi.    

This qi as described above will bring us fortune or misfortune depending on good or bad qi.  Therefore it is vital to make sure that qi flows smoothly in our house, the rooms, the offices, and other living spaces.   A very simple analogy: in Chinese Medicines, we say a person gets sick because the qi in his body is obstructed.  Similarly, when the qi in a house is obstructed, the house will not be fortunate.  The practice of Feng Shui is to ensure that the qi is smooth in our living spaces.

It’s only natural for anybody who is interested in Feng Shui to read Feng Shui related books.  What I consider not appropriate is that after reading a few books, some people are ready to give advices and worst, recommend remedies and cures publicly.

It is important then, that if you are seriously interested in Feng Shui, you should go further by attending classes offered by a good teacher. In this case, you will learn the underlying techniques and how to fine-tune the problem areas which are usually not included in the Feng Shui books.