end they would come to fisticuffs. On being defeated, Ah Q was grasped by his brownish queue and had his head knocked against the wall four or five times. It was then that ordinary folk felt fully satisfied that they had gained a triumph, and would leave. Ah Q would stand for a second, thinking in his heart: "I will consider that I have been beaten by my sons. Ah, the world is going to the dogs . . ." and accordingly, he in turn would feel satisfied at heart that the victory was his; and thus he would walk off.
Having turned this matter over in his heart, Ah Q would thereafter always find expression in words, so it came about that almost all who were in the habit of teasing him knew that he possessed a method whereby he maintained an unconquerable spirit; thus afterward, whenever they would clutch his brownish queue, they would forestall him, saying: "Ah Q, this is not a case of a son beating his father; it is a case of human beings beating an animal. Repeat the words yourself, 'Human beings beating an animal!'"
Holding on to his queue at the roots of the hair, Ah Q would set his head to one side and spurt out: "Beating an insect, is that to your satisfaction? I am an insect . . . now will you let me go?"
But in spite of the fact that he admitted that he was an insect, ordinary folk would not let him
