Villain hitting (打小人): chant, steps & taboos

Under the Canal Road Flyover · Causeway Bay, Hong Kong · Updated 2026-10-11

Villain hitting (打小人, da siu yan, “beating the petty person”) is a long-standing Hong Kong folk ritual. Its most famous spot is under the Canal Road Flyover (鵝頸橋, Ngo Keng Kiu), where Hennessy Road crosses between Causeway Bay and Wan Chai: a three-way junction in the flyover’s shadow, traditionally thought to carry strong sha energy. Every year around Ging Jat (驚蟄, “Awakening of Insects”), elderly women sit on plastic stools there, beating paper effigies with old shoes while chanting curses, to drive away petty people and bring in benefactors.

The 8 steps

Each stall does it a little differently. This is the most common sequence:

1. 請神 Invite the gods: Light incense and candles to invite the deities.
2. 稟告 Report: Write the client’s name and birth date and time on a protective talisman (百解靈符). To target someone, write their details on the paper figure, or use a general label such as 是非精 (“gossip demon”).
3. 打小人 Beat the petty person: Lay the paper figure on a brick and beat it with an old shoe while chanting, from head to feet, until it tears.
4. 祭白虎 Feed the white tiger: A must on Ging Jat. Stuff fatty pork (sometimes dipped in pig’s blood) into the mouth of a yellow paper tiger so it is full and can no longer hurt anyone.
5. 化解 Dispel: Scatter sesame, beans or rice to throw the gossip and bad luck away.
6. 迎貴人 Welcome benefactors: Pray with red “noble person” paper (貴人紙) for helpful people to come into your life.
7. 進寶 Burn the offerings: Burn the paper figure, paper tiger, benefactor paper and gold joss paper together.
8. 擲筊 Toss the blocks: Toss two crescent-shaped divination blocks. One flat side up and one round side up (a “holy cup”, 聖杯) means the ritual is complete. Some practitioners say that if three tosses don’t give a holy cup, you start again.

The chant (the “old lady’s version”)

There is no fixed chant; what matters is rhyme and venom. This is the “婆仔版” compiled by the Cantonese Resource Centre (廣東話資料館). Each line is chanted while striking the body part it names:

打你個小人頭，打到你有氣冇埞唞Beat your head, till you’ve no room to breathe

打你個小人額，打到你一世冇發達Beat your forehead, never strike it rich

打你隻小人眼，打到你成日都撞板Beat your eyes, hit a wall every day

打你隻小人耳，打到你做人冇大志Beat your ears, a life with no ambition

打你個小人口，打到你成日係咁嘔Beat your mouth, throw up all day

打你排小人牙，打到你有飯唔識扒Beat your teeth, can’t even shovel rice

打你條小人頸，打到你瞓到唔知醒Beat your neck, sleep and never wake

打你個小人肩，打到你跑馬係咁先Beat your shoulders, your horse leads… then loses

打你個小人心，打到你去見葉利欽Beat your heart, off to meet Yeltsin

打你個小人肚，打到你飲水嘔白泡Beat your belly, drink water and froth

打你條小人腸，打到你放屁特別響Beat your guts, your farts ring loud

打你條小人腰，打到你聽日發高燒Beat your waist, high fever tomorrow

打你隻小人手，打到你有嘢唔識偷Beat your hands, can’t steal a thing

打你隻小人腳，打到你有鞋唔識著Beat your feet, can’t put on your shoes

Chant source: Cantonese Resource Centre, “打小人秘笈”

FAQ

When is the best time?

Traditionally Ging Jat (驚蟄), around 5–6 March each year, is the busiest day. In practice, practitioners work under the flyover all year round.

Where exactly is it?

Under the Canal Road Flyover (堅拿道天橋) where it crosses Hennessy Road, between Causeway Bay and Wan Chai, a few minutes’ walk from Causeway Bay MTR station.

How much does it cost?

It depends on the stall and the day. Past reports put it at around HK$50 and up, and it may cost more on Ging Jat. Ask before you start.

Are there taboos?

Don’t use someone’s full real name, and don’t do it at home or in the office. Some also say you shouldn’t curse innocent people, or it will come back to harm you.

Not in Hong Kong?

Play the 3D Canal Road villain-hitting game: all 8 steps, the chant line by line, and you keep tossing until you get a holy cup.