Mahjong
(Chinese: 麻將; pinyin: má jiàng) is a
game that originated in China, commonly played by
four players (with some three-player variations found
in Korea and Japan). The four player table version
should not be confused with the popular Western single
player (tile matching) computer game (Mahjong solitaire),
which is a recent invention and completely different
from the table game. Similar to the Western card game
rummy, mahjong is a game of skill, strategy and calculation
and involves a certain degree of chance. In Asia,
mahjong is also popularly played as a gambling game
(though it may just as easily be played recreationally).
The game is played with a set of 136 tiles based on
Chinese characters and symbols, although some regional
variations use a different number of tiles. In most
variations, each player begins by receiving thirteen
tiles. In turn players draw and discard tiles until
they complete a legal hand using the fourteenth drawn
tile to form four groups (melds) and a pair (head).
There are fairly standard rules about how a piece
is drawn, stolen from another player (melded), the
use of basic (numbered tiles) and honours (winds and
dragons), the kinds of melds, and the order of dealing
and play. However there are many regional variations
in the rules; in addition, the scoring system, the
minimum hand necessary to win varies significantly
based on the local rules being used.
Name
The game was called 麻雀 (pinyin: má què),
meaning sparrow in Chinese, which is still the name
most commonly used in some southern Chinese dialects
such as Cantonese and Min Nan, as well as in Japanese.
However, most Mandarin-speaking Chinese now call the
game má jiàng (麻將). In Northern Wu Chinese
(Shanghainese and its relatives), it is pronounced
as 麻將 [mu tsiaŋ], but in actuality,
麻將 is the diminutive form of 麻雀,
written as 麻雀兒 [mu tsiaʔ
ŋ], due to an erhua event. It is through the
Wu Chinese pronunciation of 麻雀兒
that the diminutive form of 麻雀 in Northern
Wu dialect became known as 麻將 in both
Mandarin and Wu. |
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