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Q: What is reqi?
Any Chinese speakers should recognize the word without the characters, I just want to know what it is and what it means to a westerner. I am talking about reqi as in the unofficial label given to baked goods and certain foods that apparently cause respiratory and skin problems. Is it a genuine thing, and is it recognized at all in western medical circles?
8 years 18 weeks ago in Health & Safety - China
Re Shi is hot food....ie: food that will raise the temperature of one's body.
This can include such foods as lychee, bbq and other random dishes...i think mango is on the list too.
The remedy is to drink liang cha (that bitter disgusting herbal tea - literally: cool tea in Cantonese)
Hot foods can also give you pimples, apparently.
My Guangdong wife swears all this is true and i have enough experience to know not to roll my eyes unless i want a few days of hell.
mArtiAn:
I know all that, I'm just curious whether there is an equivalent western understanding of it. I mean, to me pimples come from eating fatty food. It basically sounds like pseudo science from old wives. This morning for example I got it in the far for making my kid porridge while he has a cough. I kind of think it's half right, half bollocks.
iWolf:
No one can tell you. I have also asked about this. It seems to be a belief handed down over time by village aunties. I doubt whether scientific medicine would take this seriously but as you know, Chinese bodies are different. Dermatologists in 21st century believe no food causes pimples. Hormone imbalances and impurities in/on the skin are responsible. But again, Chinese bodies are different.
Scandinavian:
Here is some foods listed
http://www.pingminghealth.com/article/581/warming-and-cooling-characteristics-of-common-foods/
But you are half right. It is half bollocks, or that is the part you are half right about, so it is complete bollocks.
The only thing it means to me is more Chinese bovine excrement!
Yahoo-gle:
http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddict&wdrst=0&wdqb=热气腾腾+
SimplifiedPīnyīn English Definition 
TraditionalHSK热气腾腾rèqìténgténg
piping hot 熱氣騰騰 http://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-meaning-of/chinese-word-ed91bf6d4d4e9fcc582f252d66e449d57f97a8d5.htmlEnglish words for the Chinese word 热气腾腾 (Rèqì téngténg)Steaming
icnif77:
I can't edit mess above.
'Reqi tengteng' means 'pipping hot' or 'steaming'.
I'll ask Chinese about it afternoon.
Re Shi is hot food....ie: food that will raise the temperature of one's body.
This can include such foods as lychee, bbq and other random dishes...i think mango is on the list too.
The remedy is to drink liang cha (that bitter disgusting herbal tea - literally: cool tea in Cantonese)
Hot foods can also give you pimples, apparently.
My Guangdong wife swears all this is true and i have enough experience to know not to roll my eyes unless i want a few days of hell.
mArtiAn:
I know all that, I'm just curious whether there is an equivalent western understanding of it. I mean, to me pimples come from eating fatty food. It basically sounds like pseudo science from old wives. This morning for example I got it in the far for making my kid porridge while he has a cough. I kind of think it's half right, half bollocks.
iWolf:
No one can tell you. I have also asked about this. It seems to be a belief handed down over time by village aunties. I doubt whether scientific medicine would take this seriously but as you know, Chinese bodies are different. Dermatologists in 21st century believe no food causes pimples. Hormone imbalances and impurities in/on the skin are responsible. But again, Chinese bodies are different.
Scandinavian:
Here is some foods listed
http://www.pingminghealth.com/article/581/warming-and-cooling-characteristics-of-common-foods/
But you are half right. It is half bollocks, or that is the part you are half right about, so it is complete bollocks.
