在中医学中，精、气、神被称为人身“三宝”。精为形体之本，生命之原; 气为生命活动之推动力和调控力;神为生命的主宰及总体现。精、气、神三者，都是关于人体生命之本原及发展变化的认识， 反映了中医学的生命是物质的，生命过程是物质的运动的生命观。
Qi has a material existence independent of subjective consciousness and is the basic element of all physical beings. It is also the basis for the birth and existence of life and spirit. In addition， some thinkers have given a moral attribute toqi.Qi is in constant motion and change， and has no specific shape. Its concentration gives birth to a thing and its evaporation signals the end of that thing.Qi permeates all physical beings and their surroundings.
Many people now misunderstand emotional intelligence as almost everything desirable in a person’s makeup that cannot be measured by an IQ test， such as character， motivation， confidence， mental stability， optimism and “people skills.”
中国人有时说“精气神儿”，这其中有“气”，人的气息。无独有偶，英语里的“精神”这个字，spirit，其原始的意思也是呼吸，也就是“人的气息”。人只要还喘气，就还活着，气息是生命的重要指征。因为如此，spirit 就有了“精神”这么个意思。
