Welcome to Session 5 of our QiDu Class. Before we begin, let's open the door with our passcode, and understand what it carries. 静 (Jìng) means still, calm, quiet. But not the silence of an empty room. It is the stillness of deep water while the surface is calm, and yet full of life beneath. 心 (Xīn) means heart-mind. In Chinese, there is no separation between the heart that feels and the mind that thinks.

A Note on Translation Every culture carries concepts that don't translate perfectly into other languages. Sometimes, when no similar idea exists, we simply borrow the word—like when Coca-Cola entered China and became Kěkǒukělè (可口可乐), or when Chinese táifēng (台风) became English typhoon. Other times, when a similar concept does exist, we reach for the closest word we have, even if it's not an exact match.

If you've ever tended a small plant, watched it reach toward the light, and felt a quiet sense of responsibility for its growth, then you already have a felt sense of what YangSheng means.