The character for 'qi' in Chinese has many meanings - the usual translation being, generally, 'energy'. One way to begin to explore its meaning from a TCM, medical point of view, is to look at the pictograph itself:
The character depicts 气 (“steam”) over 米 (“rice”): qi is analogous to steam produced from the cooking rice.
The character depicts 气 (“steam”) over 米 (“rice”): qi is analogous to steam produced from the cooking rice.