Reference · Glossary
Every term, with jyutping 麻雀術語
All the Chinese vocabulary used across this guide — characters, romanization, and what it means at the table.
How to read entries
Each entry lists the characters, the jyutping romanization, and the English meaning as used in this guide. Entries the source marks with † are standard readings flagged for verification. Terms come alive in Setup, Play, Winning and Scoring.
| Term | Jyutping | English / meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食糊 | sik6 wu4 | declare a win (lit. “eat the hand”) |
| 自摸 | zi6 mo2 | self-drawn win |
| 出銃 † | ceot1 cung3 | discarding the winning tile |
| 番 | faan1 | the scoring unit / double |
| 平糊 | ping4 wu4 | all-chow hand, 1 faan |
| 雞糊 | gai1 wu4 | zero-faan “chicken” hand |
| 詐糊 | zaa3 wu2 | false win (pays the limit) |
| 叫糊 / 聽牌 | giu3 wu2 / ting1 paai2 | ready / tenpai hand |
| 獨聽 | duk6 teng1 | single-tile wait |
| 門前清 | mun4 cin4 cing1 | fully concealed hand, 1 faan |
| 上 / 碰 / 槓 | soeng5 / pung3 / gong3 | chow / pung / kong |
| 明槓 / 暗槓 / 加槓 † | ming4 gong3 / am3 gong3 / gaa1 gong3 | melded / concealed / added kong |
| 搶槓 | coeng2 gong3 | robbing the kong, 1 faan |
| 槓上開花 | gong3 soeng5 hoi1 faa1 | kong-replacement win |
| 海底撈月 | hoi2 dai2 lau4 jyut6 | last-tile win |
| 門風 / 圈風 | mun4 fung1 / hyun1 fung1 | seat wind / round (prevailing) wind |
| 莊家 / 閒家 † | zong1 gaa1 / haan1 gaa1 | dealer / non-dealers |
| 連莊 / 過莊 | lin4 zong1 / gwo3 zong1 | dealer repeats / dealer passes |
| 流局 | lau4 guk6 | draw (wall exhausted) |
| 混一色 / 清一色 | wan6 jat1 sik1 / cing1 jat1 sik1 | half flush 3 / full flush 7 |
| 對對糊 | deoi3 deoi3 wu4 | all pungs, 3 faan |
| 小三元 / 大三元 | siu2 / daai6 saam1 jyun4 | small / great three dragons, 5 / 8 |
| 小四喜 / 大四喜 | siu2 / daai6 sei3 hei2 | small / great four winds, 6 / 13 |
| 字一色 | zi6 jat1 sik1 | all honours (limit) |
| 清幺九 | cing1 jiu1 gau2 | all terminals (limit) |
| 花幺九 | faa1 jiu1 gau2 | mixed orphans (terminals + honours) |
| 九子連環 | gau2 zi2 lin4 waan4 | nine gates (limit) |
| 坎坎糊 | kaan2 kaan2 wu2 | four concealed pungs (坎 = triplet, read kaan2) |
| 十三幺 | sap6 saam1 jiu1 | thirteen orphans (limit; “king of hands”) |
| 十八羅漢 | sap6 baat3 lo4 hon3 | four kongs (limit; “18 arhats”) |
| 天糊 / 地糊 / 人糊 † | tin1 wu4 / dei6 wu4 / jan4 wu4 | heavenly / earthly / hand-of-man first-turn wins |
| 例牌 / 爆棚 | lai6 paai2 / baau3 paang4 | limit pattern hand / hitting the cap |
| 起糊 / 封頂 † | hei2 wu4 / fung1 deng2 | faan minimum / faan cap |
| 滿糊 / 半辣 / 辣辣上 † | mun5 wu4 / bun3 laat6 / laat6 laat6 soeng5 | traditional 4-faan cap / half-spicy / full-spicy doubling |
| 全銃制 / 陪銃 † | cyun4 cung3 zai3 / pui4 cung3 | discarder-pays-all / shared-payment systems |
| 包牌 / 包自摸 † | baau1 paai2 / baau1 zi6 mo2 | liability for enabling a big hand / bearing a self-draw |
| 一炮多響 † | jat1 paau3 do1 hoeng2 | multiple simultaneous winners (house rule) |
| 截糊 † | zit3 wu4 | head-bump (first caller takes the tile) |
| 過水 / 跟張 † | gwo3 seoi2 / gan1 zoeng1 | pass-then-blocked rule |
| 正花 / 無花 / 一臺花 | zing3 faa1 / mou4 faa1 / jat1 toi4 faa1 | own flower 1 / no flowers 1 / complete flower set 2 |
| 花糊 / 大花糊 | faa1 wu4 / daai6 faa1 wu4 | 7-flower win / 8-flower win |
| 花牌 | faa1 paai2 | bonus flower/season tiles |
| 補花 / 補槓 † | bou2 faa1 / bou2 gong3 | flower replacement / kong replacement draw |
| 牌牆 / 牌尾 † | paai2 coeng4 / paai2 mei5 | wall / wall tail (replacement draws) |
| 槓底 | gong3 dai2 | dead-wall/replacement area |
| 配牌 | pui3 paai2 | the initial deal |
| 相公 † | soeng1 gung1 | miscounted hand (小相公 short / 大相公 long) |
| 面子 / 順子 / 刻子 / 對子(眼) † | min6 zi2 / seon6 zi2 / hak1 zi2 / deoi3 zi2 (ngaan5) | meld / chow / pung / pair (eyes) |
| 牌 / 摸牌 / 打牌 | paai2 / mo2 paai2 / daa2 paai2 | tile / draw / discard |
| 洗牌 † | sai2 paai2 | shuffle |
| 圈 / 局 / 雀 † | hyun1 / guk6 / zeok2 | round / hand / full game (4 rounds) |
| 執位 † | zap1 wai2 | taking seats (draw for positions) |
| 么九 | jiu1 gau2 | terminals — the 1s and 9s of the three suits |
| 數牌 / 字牌 † | sou3 paai2 / zi6 paai2 | number tiles / honour tiles |
| 清章 | cing1 zoeng1 | “clear chapter” — the 136-tile no-flowers game |
| 雀 † | zeok2 | a full game of four rounds |