Spiritual method
The method of spiritual victory[1] (simplified Chinese: 精神胜利法; traditional Chinese: 精神勝利法; pinyin: Jīngshén shènglì fǎ), or spiritual victory method,[2] strategy of spiritual triumph,[3] also known as the spirit of Ah Q,[4] is a concept that Lu Xun criticized in The True Story of Ah Q as a self-comforting method.[5] When Ah Q was beaten or bested, he would use this method to comfort himself.[6] It depicts the mentality of Chinese people in a satirical posture, and also has a derogatory meaning.[7]
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.[8]
Method of spiritual victory has gone on to be often referred to as a reflection of a negative characteristic of the Chinese national character.[9] 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.[10]
See also
References