The True Story of Ah Q

work by Lu Xun

Also known as: “A-Q zhengzhuan”, “Ah Q cheng-chuan”

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July 14, 2026

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The True Story of Ah Q is a novelette by Lu Xun, a prominent 20th-century Chinese writer. Published in 1921, it is a blend of humor and pathos that critiques the old Chinese order. The story's protagonist, Ah Q, embodies a national tendency to rationalize defeat as a "spiritual victory," a concept that entered the Chinese language as "Ah Q-ism".1

Lu Xun, born Zhou Shuren, is considered the greatest writer in 20th-century Chinese literature. His work often reflects a deep sensitivity and pessimism, influenced by his family's decline in status during his youth and his study of Darwin's theory of evolution. The True Story of Ah Q was included in his 1923 collection Call to Arms (Nahan), which solidified his reputation.1

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Chinese literature
May Fourth period
His “A-Q zhengzhuan” (1921; “The True Story of Ah Q”), a damning critique of early 20th-century conservatism in China, is the representative work of the May Fourth period and has become an international classic.
Read More
His “A-Q zhengzhuan” (1921; “The True Story of Ah Q”), a damning critique of early 20th-century conservatism in China, is the representative work of the May Fourth period and has become an international classic.
Read More

Lu Xun
Literary career
…the novelette A-Q zhengzhuan (1921; The True Story of Ah Q). A mixture of humour and pathos, it is a repudiation of the old order; it added “Ah Q-ism” to the modern Chinese language as a term characterizing the Chinese penchant for rationalizing defeat as a “spiritual victory.” These stories,…
Read More
…the novelette A-Q zhengzhuan (1921; The True Story of Ah Q). A mixture of humour and pathos, it is a repudiation of the old order; it added “Ah Q-ism” to the modern Chinese language as a term characterizing the Chinese penchant for rationalizing defeat as a “spiritual victory.” These stories,…
Read More