Changchun Mahjong (长春麻将), also known as Changchun Lucky Egg Mahjong, is an interesting variant of Mahjong played in the Changchun region of the Jilin Province in northeastern China. It introduces an interesting features in which you have a chance to form a special Kong at the start of your hand, lay an egg (Xià Dàn (下蛋)), that follow unorthodox patterns. For example, you can call a concealed kong on unorthodox patterns such as the four winds (very similar to NEWS hand pattern for those familiar with American Mahjongg) called a Whirlwind Kong (Xuan Feng Gang - 旋风杠). This variants turns conventional mahjong knowledge on its head by the introducing fresh, unorthodox elements via the Lucky Egg mechanic.
Tiles to Play Changchun Lucky Egg Mahjong With
Changchun Mahjong is played with a total of 136 tiles, which include the three suits Bamboos, Dots, and Characters as well as the Winds (East, South, West, and North) and the Dragons (Red, Green, and White).
Basic Rules of Changchun Mahjong
Every turn goes the same way:
- Draw a tile from the wall or by take the tile that somebody just discarded
- Try to make a winning hand! The goal is to arrange your tiles into four sets of three and one pair. If you can't, go to step 3.
- Discard a tile in the center of the table, officially ending your turn.
- Immediately after a tile is discarded, someone else can take it to form a meld or to complete their winning hand. If nobody takes the discarded tile, that tile is out of play for the rest of the game and the next player draws from the wall.
By default, the next player is the player to the right (counterclockwise). Even if it is not your turn yet, this is not a time to sit idle. Although the next person is the player to the right by default, there are certain circumstances that allow somebody to jump ahead to call a discarded tile. Also, even if you are unable to call the tile, it is important for you to know what is thrown and what is out of play, so that you are not waiting for it in vain later on.
How to Setup Changchun Mahjong
Like most variants of mahjong, Changchun mahjong is intended for four players. Rules and customs for dealing the tiles out vary from version to version and table to table.
Determining The Dealer
The next step is to determine the dealer. The dealer is initially selected randomly through agreement among players. Once chosen, the dealer role follows specific rules: if the dealer wins the round, they retain their position for the next round (Dealer Continuity); if another player wins, the role rotates counterclockwise to the next player. In the event of a draw, where no player wins, the dealer remains the same for the following round
Setting Up The Wall
The next step is shuffling the tiles and building the wall. Players begin by shuffling the 136 tiles thoroughly. Each player then arranges their tiles into a wall consisting of 17 stacks, with each stack containing two tiles, creating a total of 34 tiles per wall. The four walls are positioned in a square shape at the center of the table, forming a "tile wall."
Breaking The Wall
Once the dealer has been selected, the dealer rolls the dice to determine the starting wall. Let’s say you are the dealer and you roll a seven.
Starting with your own wall, count the walls in front of each player, moving counterclockwise around the table: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. You should now be pointing at the wall of the player to your left.
The next step is to determine where to break the wall.
Use the same number from determining the starting wall. Starting on the end of the wall segment closest to you, count out seven tiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Pick up that seventh tile (since you rolled a seven) because it counts from the indicated player's right to his left (not players but tiles this time) the total sum of the rolls. The tiles immediately after become the draw wall. The 14 tiles
The wall is basically like a long deck of cards wrapping around the table in a square. The draw wall is like the top of the deck where the tiles will be dealt from and where the players will draw tiles from during gameplay. The last 14 tiles become the dead wall, tiles that are unused for the course of the hand. The wall must be broken in order to separate the ends of the draw wall and the dead wall.
Dealing The Hand
After breaking the wall, the dealer starts dealing tiles from the designated breaking point. The dealer draws four tiles at a time, moving counterclockwise around the table to distribute tiles to each player. This process is repeated until each player has 12 tiles. The dealer then draws an additional two tiles, bringing their total to 14 tiles. Each of the other players draws one additional tile, bringing their totals to 13 tiles.
Lucky Eggs (Xià Dàn (下蛋))
Lucky Eggs (trans. Laying Eggs, Xià Dàn (下蛋)) are a special mechanic in Changchun Mahjong that allows you to declare special triplets and kongs in your initial hand for special payouts at the end of the round irrespective of winning. You can even "grow your eggs" by appending similar tiles that count as supplementary Kongs for extra scoring. In essence, you could have a Lucky Egg with 3 or even 4 additional tiles appended to it.
The various special triplets and kongs you can declare are:
- Whirlwind Kong (Xuan Feng Gang - 旋风杠) - On an initial hand, declaring a Special Kong with all four Wind tiles (East 東, South 南, West 西, and North 北). Additional drawn Wind tiles can be added to the kong.
- Joy Kong (Xi Gang - 喜杠) - On an initial hand, declaring a Special Triplet with all 3 Dragon tiles Red (Zhong - 中), Green (Fa - 发), and White (Bai - 白). Additional drawn Dragon tiles can be added to the kong.
- Yao Jiu Egg (Yao Jiu Dan - 幺九蛋) - On an initial hand, declaring a special triplet formed when a player holds the 1 tile from each suit Bamboo, Dot, and Character or the 9 tile from each suit in their initial hand (e.g. 1-1-1 or 9-9-9). Additional drawn 1s or 9s tiles can be added to the their respective triplet.
- Great Terminal Kong (Dà Dàn - 大蛋) - On an initial hand, declaring a special kong with four terminal or Dragon tiles (e.g., 1 Bamboo, 1 Circle, Red Dragon, White Dragon). Additional drawn tiles that match any of the four tiles can be added as a Supplemental Kong.
- Peacock Flying Southeast (孔雀东南飞) - On an initial hand, declaring a special triplet using the 1 of Bamboo, East Wind Tile, and South Wind tile. Additional drawn tiles that match any of the three tiles can be added as a Supplemental Kong.
- Gun Down the East Bamboo (枪毙东条) - On an initial hand, declaring a special triplet using the 7 Dots, East Wind, and any one Bamboo tile. Additional drawn tiles that are the 7 Dots, East Wind, or Bamboo can be added as a Supplemental Kong. (The 7 Dots resembles a pistol)
- Beating the Drum and Cursing Cao Cao (击鼓骂曹) - On an initial hand, declaring a special triplet using the 2 Bamboo, 1 Dots, and White Dragon. Additional drawn tiles that match any of the three tiles can be added as a Supplemental Kong. (Cao Cao refers to the same Cao Cao of Romance of the Three Kingdoms)
Restriction on the Lucky Egg
- Initial Triplet or Kongs Only: These special Triplets or Kongs must be formed with the initial hand; subsequent draws do not qualify for a Lucky Egg combination
- Dealer Kong Restriction: The dealer cannot declare supplementary Kongs to their Lucky Egg on their first turn.
- Stealing Kongs: Opponents can steal Supplementary Kongs to Special Kongs form a Pong, an actual Kong, or win, negating the additional supplementary Kong points
Getting a Tile
The main way to get a tile is to draw it from the draw wall.
You can also get a tile when somebody discards it if it completes a a valid combination of three or four tiles, also known as a meld, or for a winning hand.
The called tile must be displayed face up with the completed meld. This open meld cannot be altered for the rest of the game. The discarded tile must be called immediately or else the tile becomes dead and will remain in the discarded tile area for the rest of the game.
Calling Tiles
A pung is a three-of-a-kind.
If you need the discarded tile to complete a pung, you have to say “pung,” grab it, and display the completed pung face up next to your flowers. Pungs are powerful because you can seize it even if it isn’t your turn, and everyone before you will lose their turn.
A kong is a four-of-a-kind.
Kong is like a special type of pung, and can also be grabbed even if it’s not your turn. However, you have to also grab an extra tile from the wall. This is necessary for you to have enough tiles to complete a winning hand.
Note: Every time a kong is declared, add two tiles to the dead wall.
A chow is a three-tile straight of the same suit.
Unlike pung and kang, you can only chow when it’s your turn. This makes chows harder to get since you can only get it from the person right before you. The only exception to this is if the chow would result in you winning.
Generally you cannot claim a discarded tile to form a pair. The only exception is if you are waiting for one more tile to win. You might be waiting to complete a pung, a chow, or an eye in order to win. No matter what you’re waiting for, you can seize it if somebody discards it, anytime. Winning using a discarded tile is called mahjong or hu.
FAQ: What Happens If Two People Want to Call a Discarded Tile?
In general, priority is given based on what the tile is being called for: winning takes precedence over pungs/kongs. If more than one player needs the discarded tile for mahjong, it goes to whoever is closer in turn after the person who discarded the tile.
Additional since there are irregular kongs, you can steal Supplementary Kongs to Special Kongs to form an actual Pong, an actual Kong, or win, negating the additional supplementary Kong points
The priority is given as: Wins > Actual Kong / Pon > Supplementary Kong > Chow
Arranging your Tiles
Remember, the goal of mahjong is to have all of your tiles arranged into four melds and one pair. After getting a tile, you should arrange your tiles and attempt to incorporate your new tile into your hand.
As discussed above, kong is a four-of-a-kind, which may be formed from a discarded tile. Related to kong is a concealed kong when you have four-of-a-kind that’s hidden in your own hand, which means that you drew it yourself and did not complete it using a discarded tile. In this case, because it’s concealed, the identity of the tile is valuable information and should not be displayed. But because it is a four-tile meld, you must declare it and get a tile from the wall. Turn the outside tiles facedown to mark it as a concealed kong. Just like with open meld, your secret tiles will be out of play the rest of the game with no changes permitted.
Another related concept is open melded kong. Open melded kongs are generally locked in and cannot be changed. If you created a pung from a discarded tile, and later on, somebody throws the fourth matching tile, you will not be able to kong the discarded tile, because your pung was already open. However, there is a special exception: if it’s your turn and the tile that you draw from the wall happens to be the fourth matching tile, then you can add it to your completed pung. Declare the open melded kong and set the matching tile on top of the middle tile of the pung. Since this is now a four-tile meld, you must draw a replacement tile from the wall.
Discarding a Tile
Generally, you should discard tiles that do not contribute to forming sequences or other valuable combinations.
Pay attention to your opponents' actions; avoid discarding tiles that might complete their hands, such as Winds, Dragons, or terminal tiles (1s and 9s), especially in the late game when players may be close to winning (Ready or Ting Pai).
Arranging your Called and Discard Tiles
Called tiles, are placed face-up in front of the player's hand, separate from unplayed tiles. Each set is grouped distinctly, with chow arranged in numerical order, Pung displayed as three identical tiles, and Kong as four tiles in a row. If a Supplementary Kong is formed, the fourth tile is added to the existing set. For Concealed Kongs, the tiles are placed face-down in front of the hand, with one tile optionally flipped face-up to indicate the Kong.
Discarded tiles can be thrown in the center haphazardly as long as everyone knows what tile you discarded.
Declaring a Ready Hand
Declaring Ready can occur a player is one tile away from winning with a valid hand, a Ready Hand (Ting Pai (听牌)). Unlike other variants of Mahjong like Riichi Mahjong, you do not have to have a fully concealed hand. In Dalian Restricted Mahjong, you can Declare Ready in one of two ways, (1) a player will simply announce "Ready" on their turn and discard a tile. From this point onward the player is essentially playing on autopilot, and they cannot change their hand in any way.
The player picks up a tile on their turn, and if it is not his winning tile, they must discard it. The only exception to this is that the player can turn any closed triplet into a closed quad (kong), providing it does not change the validity of their hand.
Also unlike Riichi Mahjong, a player who has Declared Ready can call Hu or Mahjong whenever they please instead of on their first possible opportunity. The player can wait for their winning tiles to be discarded by specific players even if they have already been discarded by somebody else.
The benefit of declaring ready is the activation of the Treasure Tile.
Treasure Tiles (Bǎo Pái (宝牌))
The Treasure Tile is a unique feature in Changchun Mahjong that adds an element of excitement to the game. Additionally if the Treasure Tile matches their winning tile, they can immediately "Rush for Treasure" to win the game without actually having to draw a tile.
The Treasure Tile has two functions:
- Act as a wildcard if drawn for Ready Players Only
- Treasure Rush - Upon revealing the treasure tile indicator, it allows for an immediate win if the Treasure tile matches the player’s required winning tile.
Either way, having Treasure Tiles, using Treasure Tiles, and/or activating Treasure Rush add multipliers to your hand's final score and payout!
Revealing Treasure Tiles
When a player declares Ready (Ting), they roll the dice to determine the Treasure Tile's location within the wall. The selected tile is revealed but kept secret from players who have not declared Ready (Ting).
Declaring a Ready Hand
A player can declare a Ready Hand (Tīng Pái (听牌)) whenever any one legal tile can complete a valid hand following all restrictions and must include: (1) one sequence, (2) one triplet, (3) at least two suits, (4) at least one terminal tile, (5) be an open hand, and (6) retain at least four tiles in hand.
Once a player declares Ready (Tīng Pái (听牌)), they can no longer change there hand. They must discard any tiles drawn unless it is their winning tile.
Revealing the Treasure Tile
Once a player declares a Ready Hand following all restrictions, the Treasure Tile Indicator is chosen by rolling dice and counting tile columns starting from the back of the remaining wall and take the top tile as the Treasure Tile Indicator. If there are less tile columns than the rolled value, roll again until you can reveal a Treasure Tile Indicator. The Ready player will take the tile and look at it, and If the Ready player can "Rush for Treasure" (win with the tile), reveal it. Otherwise, place it facedown to the side. If any point, the Ready player can win on a drawn or discarded Treasure Tile, reveal the Treasure Tile indicator.
If other players declare Ready, allow the other Ready players to secretly look at the Treasure Tile indicator and return it face down. The other Ready player will take the tile and look at it, and If the Ready player can "Rush for Treasure" (win with the tile), reveal it. Otherwise, place it facedown to the side. If any point, the other Ready player can win on a drawn or discarded Treasure Tile, reveal the Treasure Tile indicator.
The sequential counterpart of the Treasure Tile Indicator (based on suit, Dragon, or Wind order) become the Treasure Tile for that round. The Treasure Tile is indicated by treasure indicator tile which will mark the next tile in the suit as the Treasure Tile. For example, if the face up tile is 3 Bamboo, then 3 and 4 Bamboo are the Wild Card tiles. A 9 tile indicates the 1 tile of the same suit, so 9 Dots would indicate 1 Dot as the Wild Card. Winds are East, then South, then West, then North, and back to East while the Dragons are coincidentally in alphabetical order of Green, then Red, then White, and then back to Green.
Note: You cannot reveal a Treasure Tile if there are 4 or less tiles left.
Running Out of Treasure
When 3 Treasure Tiles (Not Treasure Tile Indicators) are visible in the discard pile and/or melded tiles, the first Ready Player can roll the dice again to determine a new Treasure Tile. If there are less tile columns than the rolled value, roll again until you can reveal a Treasure Tile Indicator.
End of the Game
Changchun Mahjong specifies that when only twelve tiles (six stacks) remain remain in the wall, players can no longer form kongs and exclusively win by self-draws only. When a player draws one of the last four remaining tiles and cannot win, they will simply discard and pass their turn.
If no player wins, the round is declared a draw. The dealership passes counterclockwise and a new round begins.
Winning in Changchun Mahjong
Winning in Changchun Mahjong (Hu Pai - 胡牌) r equires players to complete a valid hand that consists of four sets (Pungs, Chows, or Kongs) and one pair. but also meet the following requirements: one triplet set, must feature tiles from one of each suits, and include at least one terminal tile.
Only one player can win and if multiple players can win on a single discarded tile, the player closest to the discarder in counterclockwise order has priority.
Requirements for a Winning Hand
- One Triplet Set (刻子, Kè Zi):
- The hand must include at least one set of triplets (three identical tiles). A kong (杠子) can substitute for a meld.
- Terminal Tiles (幺九, Yāo Jiǔ):
- The hand must include at least one terminal tile (1 or 9). Red Dragon tiles can count as terminals.
- Three Suits Requirement (三门齐, Sān Mén Qí):
- A winning hand must contain tiles from all three suits (Bamboo, Circles, Characters)
Points and Payout in Changchun Mahjong
Scoring and payouts in Changchun Mahjong are determined by the combination of tiles, special features, and the manner of winning. Points are typically calculated using multipliers (Fan - 番), and payouts vary based on whether the win is self-drawn (Zi Mo - 自摸) or from a discard (Dian Pao - 点炮).
Initial Points
Decide in advance how long you’ll play for and what “rate” you’ll use. If you plan to play for several hours, you might, for instance, reshuffle seating every hour or so. Also agree on how many “points” each player starts with—represented by chips or some other marker.
Common values are 50 points or 100 points, however you can go as high as you like. These points serve as a baseline for calculating wins, losses, and any multipliers (like Pao Zi or Kongs).
Base Points
In Changchun Lucky Egg Mahjong, the base point used for hands start at 1. You can use larger values if you would like.
Lucky Egg Payouts for Changchun Mahjong
In Changchun Lucky Egg mahjong, Lucky Eggs are paid out by every other player at the end of the hand irrespective wins or loss. The only exception would be when the Supplemental Kong is Robbed for a Pon/Kong or Win. Whenever the Kong is Robbed (Broken Egg Penalty), players no longer have to payout that particular lucky egg at the end of round.
| Lucky Egg Type | Payout | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Whirlwind Kong 旋风杠 (Xuànfēng Gàng) | 1 | On an initial hand, declaring a Special Kong with all four Wind tiles (East 東, South 南, West 西, and North 北). Additional drawn Wind tiles can be added to the kong as a Supplemental Kong. Calculated at 1x Base Score |
| Joy Triplet 喜杠 (Xǐ Gàng) | 1 | On an initial hand, declaring a Special Triplet with all 3 Dragon tiles Red (Zhong - 中), Green (Fa - 发), and White (Bai - 白). Additional drawn Dragon tiles can be added to the Triplet as a Supplemental Kong. Standard Payout: Base Score x 1 |
| Terminal Triplet (Yao Jiu Dan - 幺九蛋) | 1 | On an initial hand, declaring a special triplet formed when a player holds the 1 tile from each suit Bamboo, Dot, and Character or the 9 tile from each suit in their initial hand (e.g. 1-1-1 or 9-9-9). Additional drawn 1s or 9s tiles can be added to the their respective triplet as a Supplemental Kong. Standard Payout: Base Score x 1 |
| Great Terminal Kong (Dà Dàn - 大蛋) | 1 | On an initial hand, declaring a special kong with four terminal or Dragon tiles (e.g., 1 Bamboo, 1 Circle, Red Dragon, White Dragon). Additional drawn tiles that match any of the four tiles can be added as a Supplemental Kong. Standard Payout: Base Score x 1 |
| Peacock Flying Southeast (孔雀东南飞) | 1 | On an initial hand, declaring a special triplet using the 1 of Bamboo, East Wind Tile, and South Wind tile. Additional drawn tiles that match any of the three tiles can be added as a Supplemental Kong. Standard Payout: Base Score x 1 |
| Gun Down the East Bamboo (枪毙东条) | 1 | On an initial hand, declaring a special triplet using the 7 Dots, East Wind, and any one Bamboo tile. Additional drawn tiles that are the 7 Dots, East Wind, or Bamboo can be added as a Supplemental Kong. Standard Payout: Base Score x 1 |
| Beating the Drum and Cursing Cao Cao (击鼓骂曹) | 1 | On an initial hand, declaring a special triplet using the 2 Bamboo, 1 Dots, and White Dragon. Additional drawn tiles that match any of the three tiles can be added as a Supplemental Kong. Standard Payout: Base Score x 1 |
| Supplemental Kong | +1 | Additional drawn tiles that match the Lucky Egg that are added |
Kong Payouts
Kongs are similarly paid out by every other player at the end of the hand irrespective wins or loss. Regular Supplemental Kongs cannot be robbed for a Pon/Kong or Win for a Broken Egg Penalty unlike Lucky Eggs.
|
Type of Kong |
Payout | Description |
|
Concealed Kong |
2 | Declaring a Concealed Kong at any point in the game |
| Supplemental Kong | +1 | Adding an drawn tiles that match an open meld of triplets to form a Kong |
Winning Hand Payout Formula
The payout in Changchun Mahjong is relatively simplified. The formula to calculate points is as follows:
Total Payout = Base Score (1) x 2 (If additional multipliers apply) x Additional Multipliers (x Additional Multipliers, etc.)
So for example, if you won a claimed discard hand as a dealer prior the payout would look like such: Base Score (1) x 2 x Dealer Win Multipler (2) = 4
Note: Hand Payouts are capped at 1000 points.
Payout Table for Changchun Mahjong
| Condition | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Clamp Win (夹胡) | x2 | Winning with a tile needed to complete an edge, closed, or single wait |
| Self-Draw Win (自摸) | x2 | Winning with the tile you draw yourself |
| Treasure Tile Win (宝牌) | x2 | Winning with the treasure tile to complete the hand |
| Straight to the Treasure (duì bǎo 对宝) | x2 | Winning a hand where the treasure tile matches the tile needed to win |
| Hidden Treasure (宝牌, Bǎo Pái) | x2 | If the player wins with any Treasure Tiles in hand prior to declaring ready. |
| Treasure Inside Treasure (宝中宝, Bǎo Zhōng Bǎo) | x8 | If a player wins where the treasure tile matches the tile needed to win with a Clamp Wait. Stacks with Clamp Win, Treasure Tile Win. Can stack with Straight to the Treasure and Hidden Treasure also. |
| Pure Pung Hand (飘胡) | x2 | All sets in hand are triplets or quads |
| Dealer Win (庄胡) | x2 | Whenever the Dealer win |
| Standing Win (立胡) | x2 | Winning with a closed hand (without any exposed melds). |
| Dealer Loss (坐庄) | x2 | If the Dealer has to pay out to another player whether by discard or another player self-draws, dealer pays x2 (excludes Kongs), |
