정신승리

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 정신(精神) (jeongsin, “psychology”) + 승리(勝利) (seungni, “victory”), an orthographic borrowing from Chinese 精神勝利／精神胜利 (“psychological victory”), used by Chinese author Lu Xun in his 1922 novella "The True Story of Ah Q" to describe the main character's deluded approach to life.

Compare Chinese 阿Q精神 (“Ah Q spirit”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕʌ̹ŋɕʰinsʰɯŋni]
• Phonetic hangul: [정신승니]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	jeongsinseungni
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	jeongsinseungli
McCune–Reischauer?	chŏngsinsŭngni
Yale Romanization?	cengsinsungli

Noun

정신승리 • (jeongsinseungni) (hanja 精神勝利)

1. mental gymnastics to justify a defeat, literally "psychological victory"