Insufficiency of qi causes qi deficiency syndrome with the manifestations of sallow complexion, dispiritedness, lassitude and low and weak voice. On the other hand, qi deficiency may bring on hypofunction of the viscera, leading to deficiency of heart-qi deficiency of spleen-qi, deficiency of lung-qi and deficiency of kidney-qi.

    

The manifestations of qi disorder are various, such as qi exuberance, qi stagnation, adverse flow of qi, qi sinking, qi closure and qi leakage, etc. Qi exuberance means that qi is excessive, usually leading to blockage of qi activity and transformation into fire. Take exuberance of lung-qi for example. If it accumulates in the chest and blocks the chest, it will cause oppression and distension of the chest and sonorous dyspnea; if it transforms into fire to scorch the lung, it will bring on fever, profuse sweating, thirst, cough with yellowish thick sputum.

Qi stagnation means unsmooth flow of qi and stagnation of qi in local areas, leading to distension, fullness and pain. Protracted stagnation of qi tends to transform into fire. For example, stagnation of liver-qi leads to hypochondriac distension and fullness or distending pain of lower abdomen and depression; transformation of stagnant qi into fire and upward surge of liver-fire may lead to reddish cheeks and eyes and irascibility.

Adverse flow of qi, sinking of qi, closure of qi and leakage of qi are caused by abnormal changes of ascent and descent. Excessive ascent of qi causes adverse flow of qi; excessive descent of qi causes sinking of qi; failure of qi to disperse causes closure of qi; loss of qi fixation causes leakage of qi. Adverse flow of qi and stagnation of qi are excess syndromes while sinking of qi and leakage of qi are deficiency syndromes. 

For example, adverse flow of liver-qi causes dizziness, distension of head or syncope; adverse flow of lung-qi causes cough and asthma; adverse flow of stomach-qi causes nausea and vomiting. Sinking of gastrosplenic qi causes dizziness, diarrhea, visceroptosis and proctoptosis. Stagnation of lung-qi causes chest oppression, unsmooth breath, stuffy nose and anhidrosis. Loss of fixation of lung-qi causes spontaneous sweating; loss of fixation of kidney-qi causes incontinence of urine; excessive leakage of qi causes loss of qi.