Semiotic Encoding and the Construction of National Identity in March of the Volunteers

This study examines, from a semiotic perspective, how March of the Volunteers came to function as a symbol of national identity. Through multiple images such as the “Great Wall of flesh and blood,” the lyrics naturalize historical experience into an enduring national spirit, while musical signs—including the bugle-like introduction and ascending scalar patterns—evoke embodied resonance. Through collective singing, media circulation, and other forms of social interaction, the song continuously generates and accumulates new meanings. Following its adoption as the national anthem, state rituals and institutions, including flag-raising ceremonies and school education, transformed individual experiences of the song into collective and structural memory, ultimately consolidating it as an enduring symbol that transcends its original historical context. The study demonstrates that, through semiotic encoding and the production of meaning, March of the Volunteers has become internalized as part of the cultural foundations of the Chinese nation and continues to contribute to the construction of a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. 本文将从符号学的角度去分析《义勇军进行曲》如何成为国族认同符号。歌词通过“血肉长城”等多重意象将历史自然化为永恒的民族精神，旋律中以号角前奏、上行音阶等音乐符号激发身体共鸣。歌曲通过集体歌咏、媒介传播等途径在互动中不断增殖意义。成为国歌后，它经由升旗仪式、学校教育等国家仪式，从个人体验转化为集体记忆和结构性记忆，最终固化为超越历史的永恒象征。研究表明，歌曲通过符号编码与意义生产，内化为民族的文化底色，持续参与中华民族共同体意识的建构。