Method of spiritual victory | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 精神勝利法 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 精神胜利法 | ||||||
| |||||||
The method of spiritual victory (simplified Chinese: 精神胜利法; traditional Chinese: 精神勝利法; pinyin: Jīngshén shènglì fǎ), or spiritual victory method, strategy of spiritual triumph, also known as the spirit of Ah Q, is a concept that Lu Xun criticized in The True Story of Ah Q as a self-comforting method. When Ah Q was beaten or bested, he would use this method to comfort himself. It depicts the mentality of Chinese people in a satirical posture, and also has a derogatory meaning.
Method of spiritual victory is a technique used to regain self-esteem by making oneself feel good through self-hypnosis, and self-anesthesia. Briefly, it is to describe those who have actually suffered losses, but can only shift to seeking self-comfort in spirit.
Method of spiritual victory has gone on to be often referred to as a reflection of a negative characteristic of the Chinese national character. It is broad in the sense that it is possible for everyone to use the spiritual victory method, even for self-comfort and to ignore the dissatisfaction of others.
See also
References
- John Makeham (2014). Transforming Consciousness: Yogācāra Thought in Modern China. Oxford University Press. pp. 396–. ISBN 978-0-19-935813-7.
- Kam Louie (20 November 2014). Chinese Masculinities in a Globalizing World. Routledge. pp. 149–. ISBN 978-1-134-65123-8.
- Qian Suoqiao (12 November 2010). Liberal Cosmopolitan: Lin Yutang and Middling Chinese Modernity. Brill Publishers. pp. 56–. ISBN 978-90-04-19214-0.
- "A loss, no bad thing or a blessing in disguise". Stedu.stheadline.com. 2019-11-08.
- "Be brave and take responsibility for your decisions in the face of problems". Liberty Times. 2020-01-14.
- Wendy Larson (16 October 2008). From Ah Q to Lei Feng: Freud and Revolutionary Spirit in 20th Century China. Stanford University Press. pp. 77–. ISBN 978-0-8047-6982-2.
- "The method of spiritual victory in contemporary society". Liberty Times. 2020-06-13.
- "He perfectly interpreted what is "the spirit of Ah Q"". Stand News. 2016-03-10.
- Michael Berry (25 July 2019). Jia Zhangke's 'Hometown Trilogy': Xiao Wu, Platform, Unknown Pleasures. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 48–. ISBN 978-1-83871-655-4.
- "The method of spiritual victory has not disappeared". Yahoo! News. Jan 15, 2020.