Chinese Official Mahjong

Overview

Chinese Official Mahjong (full name: "Chinese Mahjong Competition Rules") was established by China's General Administration of Sport in 1998 and is the official competitive ruleset adopted by the World Mahjong Organization (WMO). Known for its rich variety of scoring patterns, it features 81 fan patterns ranging from 1 to 88 fan, emphasizing pattern combination and strategic play. It is one of the most competitive mahjong rulesets.

Basic Setup

Tiles Used

Chinese Official Mahjong uses 144 tiles:

• Characters (m): 1–9 Man, 4 of each, 36 total
• Dots (p): 1–9 Pin, 4 of each, 36 total
• Bamboos (s): 1–9 Sou, 4 of each, 36 total
• Wind tiles (z1–z4): East, South, West, North, 4 of each, 16 total
• Dragon tiles (z5–z7): Chun, Hatsu, Haku, 4 of each, 12 total
• Flower tiles: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum, 1 of each, 8 total

Flower Tiles

Flower tiles are divided into two groups: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter (seasonal) and Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum (botanical).

• When drawn, flower tiles are immediately revealed and a replacement tile is drawn from the end of the wall
• Each flower tile counts as 1 fan
• Flowers correspond to seats (Spring/Plum → East, Summer/Orchid → South, Autumn/Bamboo → West, Winter/Chrysanthemum → North)
• Collecting a complete set (all seasons or all botanicals) earns extra fan

Starting Setup

Game Flow

Opening

1. Dice roll to determine dealer and wall break position
2. Deal: Dealer gets 14 tiles, non-dealers get 13 each
3. Flower replacement: Players with flower tiles reveal them and draw replacements
4. Dealer starts

Turn Cycle

1. Draw a tile (or call)
2. Discard a tile
3. Other players may chi/pon/kan/win
4. Repeat until someone wins or the wall is exhausted

Melding Rules

Chi

Take one tile from the player to your left to form a sequence with two tiles from your hand.

Pon

Take one tile from any player to form a triplet with two identical tiles from your hand.

Kan

• Open kan: Hold three identical tiles; kan when someone discards the fourth
• Closed kan: Hold four identical tiles; declare closed kan
• Added kan: Draw the fourth tile for an already-called pon; upgrade to kan

Priority

Win > Kan > Pon > Chi

Winning Conditions

Basic Hand Shapes

• Standard: 4 sets + 1 pair
• Seven Pairs: 7 pairs
• Thirteen Orphans: One of each of the 13 terminals/honors + one duplicate
• All Types / Seven Stars Unmatched: Special irregular hands

Minimum 8 Fan

Chinese Official Mahjong requires a minimum of 8 fan to win. Patterns can be combined additively.

These complete hands clear the 8-fan minimum.

Ways to Win

• Self-draw (Tsumo): Draw the winning tile from the wall (+1 fan for self-draw)
• Discard win: Win off another player's discard

Complete Scoring Patterns

Chinese Official Mahjong has 81 scoring patterns. Listed below from highest to lowest fan.

88 Fan

Big Four Winds

Triplets or quads of all four wind tiles (East, South, West, North).

Big Three Dragons

Triplets or quads of all three dragon tiles (Chun, Hatsu, Haku).

All Green

Hand consists entirely of 2s, 3s, 4s, 6s, 8s of Bamboos and Hatsu (z6).

Nine Gates

1112345678999 of a single suit + any tile of the same suit. Closed hand only.

Four Kongs

Four kan declarations.

Seven Shifted Pairs

Seven consecutive pairs in the same suit.

Thirteen Orphans

One of each of the 13 terminal and honor tiles (m1, m9, p1, p9, s1, s9, z1–z7) + one duplicate.

64 Fan

All Terminals

Hand consists entirely of 1s and 9s (triplets/quads + pair), no honors.

Little Four Winds

Three wind triplets (or quads) + one wind pair.

Little Three Dragons

Two dragon triplets (or quads) + one dragon pair.

All Honors

Hand consists entirely of honor tiles.

Four Concealed Triplets

Four concealed triplets (no open sets or kans). Closed hand only.

Pure Double Chow

Two sets of 123 and 789 in the same suit + pair of 5 in that suit.

48 Fan

Quadruple Chow

Four identical sequences in the same suit.

Four Shifted Pungs

Four consecutive triplets in the same suit (e.g., 2222-3333-4444-5555).

32 Fan

Four Shifted Chows

Four sequences in the same suit with equal arithmetic step (step of 1 or 2).

Three Kongs

Three kan declarations (open or closed). 32 fan.

All Terminals and Honors

Hand consists entirely of terminals (1, 9) and honor tiles.

24 Fan

Seven Pairs

Seven pairs forming a special hand pattern.

Seven Stars Unmatched

One of each of the 7 honor tiles + non-adjacent numbered tiles from each suit.

All Even Pungs

Hand consists entirely of even-numbered (2, 4, 6, 8) triplets and pair.

Full Flush

Hand consists entirely of one suit.

Pure Triple Chow

Three identical sequences in the same suit.

Pure Shifted Pungs

Three consecutive triplets in the same suit.

Upper Tiles

Hand consists entirely of 7, 8, 9 tiles.

Middle Tiles

Hand consists entirely of 4, 5, 6 tiles.

Lower Tiles

Hand consists entirely of 1, 2, 3 tiles.

16 Fan

Pure Straight

123 + 456 + 789 sequences in the same suit.

Three-Suited Terminal Chows

Two suits each have 123 + 789 sequences, and the third suit has a pair of 5.

Pure Shifted Chows

Three sequences in the same suit with equal arithmetic step.

All Fives

Every set and the pair contains a 5.

Triple Pung

The same numbered triplet in all three suits.

Three Concealed Pungs

Three concealed triplets.

12 Fan

All Types Unmatched

Non-adjacent numbered tiles from each suit + some honor tiles (not Seven Stars).

Knitted Straight

Three suits contributing 147 / 258 / 369 combinations (plus 1 set + 1 pair).

Upper Four

Hand consists entirely of 6, 7, 8, 9 tiles.

Lower Four

Hand consists entirely of 1, 2, 3, 4 tiles.

Big Three Winds

Three wind triplets.

8 Fan

Last Tile Draw

Win by self-drawing the last tile from the wall. 8 fan.

Last Tile Claim

Win off the last discarded tile after the wall is exhausted. 8 fan.

Out with Replacement Tile

Win by self-drawing the replacement tile after declaring kan. 8 fan.

Robbing the Kong

Win by claiming the tile another player uses for an added kan. 8 fan.

6 Fan

All Triplets

Four triplets (or quads) + one pair.

Half Flush

Hand consists entirely of one suit + honor tiles.

Mixed Triple Chow

The same numbered sequence in all three suits.

Mixed Shifted Pungs

Three suits each have a triplet of consecutive numbers.

All Types

Characters, Dots, Bamboos, Wind tiles, and Dragon tiles — all five types present.

Melded Hand

Fully melded (all chi/pon/kan), one tile remaining, winning off another's discard. 6 fan.

4 Fan

Outside Hand

Every set and the pair contains a terminal (1 or 9).

Fully Concealed Hand

Closed hand, self-draw win. 4 fan.

Two Melded Kongs

Two open kan declarations. 4 fan.

Last Tile

Win on the very last available copy of a tile (other 3 already visible). 4 fan.

2 Fan

Dragon Pung

A triplet or quad of Chun (z5), Hatsu (z6), or Haku (z7). 2 fan each.

Prevalent Wind

A triplet of the current round wind tile. 2 fan.

Seat Wind

A triplet of your own seat wind tile. 2 fan.

Concealed Hand

No chi, pon, or open kan. 2 fan.

All Chows

Four sequences + non-yakuhai pair + two-sided wait. 2 fan.

Tile Hog

Four identical tiles in hand without declaring kan. 2 fan.

Double Pung

Two suits each have a triplet of the same number. 2 fan.

Two Concealed Pungs

Two concealed triplets. 2 fan.

Concealed Kong

One closed kan. 2 fan.

All Simples

No terminals (1, 9) or honor tiles. 2 fan.

1 Fan

Pure Double Chow

Two identical sequences in the same suit.

Mixed Double Chow

Two different suits each have an identical numbered sequence.

Short Straight

Six consecutive tiles in the same suit (two adjacent sequences).

Two Terminal Chows

123 + 789 in the same suit.

Pung of Terminals or Honors

A triplet of 1, 9, or honor tiles. 1 fan.

Melded Kong

One open kan. 1 fan.

One Voided Suit

Hand uses only two of the three numbered suits (may include honors).

No Honors

No honor tiles in hand. 1 fan.

Edge Wait

Winning on an edge wait (12 waiting for 3, or 89 waiting for 7). 1 fan.

Closed Wait

Winning on a closed wait (e.g., 13 waiting for 2, or 46 waiting for 5). 1 fan.

Single Wait

Winning on a single tile wait for the pair. 1 fan.

Self-Drawn

Drawing the winning tile yourself. 1 fan.

Scoring Rules

Fan Calculation

Chinese Official Mahjong score = sum of all applicable fan patterns.

Score Settlement

• Self-draw: Each of the other three players pays (fan + 8) points
• Discard win: The discarder pays (fan + 8) points, the other two each pay 8 points

Key Differences from Riichi Mahjong