má jiàng
I walked into class this morning and noticed that there was a 麻将 (májiàng) set lying on the table. I decided that since I pass by hundreds of people playing májiàng in groups of four on the streets everyday, that it was finally time I learned not only how to play, but the terminology used when playing the game.
The game is played with 136 tiles (牌)( pái) that consist of the following:
- 36 dotted tiles from 1 through 9, called 饼 (bǐng), 4 each
- 36 tiles with lines indicating number, 1 through 9, called 条(tiáo), 4 each, with the number 1 being represented by a small bird, and thus called “bird,” “chicken,” or something along those lines depending on the speaker.
- 36 tiles with characters, 1 through 9, called 万(wàn), 4 each
- 4 tiles with the character meaning middle, 中 (zhōng), in red
- 4 tiles with the character meaning rich, 发(fā)
- 4 tiles with an empty square that are called 白板 (bái bǎn), meaning black board
- 16 tiles with the characters indicating north(北)(běi), south(南)(nán), east(东)(dōng), and west(西)(xī), 4 each
- OPTIONAL: Designs that I don’t understand, but I believe to be jokers, called 花(huā), meaning drawing
3 players begin with 13 tiles each, and the 4th player, who goes first, begins with 14 tiles. You determine who goes first by rolling a die. The ultimate goal is to make four groups of 3 tiles, and one group of 2 tiles, thus in the end totaling 14 tiles. There are some complicated rules about what can be made into a group, whose turn it is, and how to play off other player’s tiles, but I think I mostly have the hang of it now.
It was funny watching my teacher Michael, another teacher name Leo, and Ivy, the president of KCE, fighting over which rules to use and which not to. Apparently the game is played differently all over China, and each city has its own unique set of rules.
Next stop…..finding a random street game and getting my feet wet 
May 15th, 2006 at 5:18 am
Wow! Grandpa Jerry and I were just talking about ma jong. He plays! And — Grandma Alice was a master ma jong player. She had a regular weekly group, and I’d hear them from my bedroom calling out “one bam!” I bet she can still play a mean game, if it’s like her skill at bridge. It survives memory loss!
Good for you, bud! You go, guy!
I want to learn too!
May 15th, 2006 at 7:47 am
Andrew, I played mah jonge when I was 14 and currently have games of it on both my mac and pc plus an invitation to play every Tuesday afternoon if I choose. In the states, we buy yearly cards which spell out what formations are acceptable. The cards cost about $6.00 each and are mandatory for all players or there would be chaos at the tables. Of course the computer games just have different configuration of the tiles without the actual naming of them or an understanding of the creation of the patterns required in playing in groups. It is a game that is usually played for money, although the amounts vary. My Tuesday group has decided to be very generous and play for toothpicks, meaning no cash. Have fun. The game can be exciting at times. Love, Grammy
May 15th, 2006 at 10:47 am
Hi Andy – a couple of corrections:
白板 (bái bǎn), means white board, probably a typo
花(huā), means flowers. actually they have 4 flowers and 4 seasons for total of 8 tiles, with each flowers matching each season (spring, summer, autumn, winter). They are not wild cards, rather a way to pick a tile from the end of pile instead of front of pile (reverse)
the game can also be played with 16/17 tiles instead of 13/14, and with different rules. overall the game can be easy or complicated, depending on whom you play with
May 15th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Sara……thanks….I’l teach you when you get here if you want
Grammy…..everyone here seems to like to play for money! When I get back, we can play if you want
Terry….everything you said is correct. You are much more of an expert than me
May 16th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
Intersting and excitring game. Most of the oriental restaurant community in the states play regularly and for big stakes. One can get very rich or go bankrupt at some of these games.
Be warned. Your sister distinguished herself at the recital. Very professional performance. Itg was probably the only time most of the attendees had heard a harpsichord. Mikey keeps getting cuter every time I see him. He looks like a drunken trucker swaggering from side to side. He picked up John’s cane and was able to walk with it in an inverted position. Quitre a character. At rach’s brunch, Mike picked up and industrial floor brush with a 6 foot handle, and pushed it about 30 feet over a tile floor. Keep having fun and learning.
May 17th, 2006 at 5:49 am
fun game. the longest that I have played at one table is from 7:00PM – 1000:AM. It was a really fun night! The way that we play it is also different with the change of using 16 tiles. With the first player having 17. Good stuff…We have to play sometime. I’m still learning how to tell what tile it is without even looking at it (all by touch)!
May 18th, 2006 at 11:15 pm
Jerome…..I wish could have been there…..sounds like a fun get together
Elijah….that is a LONG time…..hehe