A Translation Semiotics Analysis on the Thumb Fight

Abstract

The world is familiar with Chinese wine but neglects its attractive partner, Thumb Fight (拇战). The Thumb Fight is a precious traditional Chinese drinking game. However, its rare research still focuses on its history, not the translation process during its dynamic playing logic. The semiotic is access to logic from Peircean. The translation process during Thumb Fight can be developed under the guidance of translation semiotics. This article analyzes the Thumb Fight playing process’s signs translating process based on the translation semiotics with Peirce’s triadic sign relations. All sign interaction is translating from translation semiotics in the broadest sense. The significant signs involved in translating are thought signs, finger signs, and oral signs. The article starts from a single player’s side to divide its translation sign system into three stages: opening ceremony, fighting progress, and winning result. Furthermore, to better understand its dynamic competition process, the article constructs a translation conceptual framework to analyze its signs translation, with the signs-- objects-- interpretant triadic relations. In the following standard case study, the theoretical analysis framework of translation semiotics can effectively show the process and behavior of signs translation.