Yuxi Flower Blooming Mahjong (玉溪麻将) is an exhilarating Mahjong variant deeply rooted in the vibrant culture of Yuxi, a city in the Yunnan Province of China. Yuxi Mahjong stands out with its frequent occurrence of "Kong on Flower" (杠上花, Gàng Shàng Huā)—a thrilling move that allows players to achieve a winning hand immediately after drawing a replacement tile for a Kong. The term "Flower Blooming" in Yuxi Mahjong draws inspiration from full name of "Kong on Flower, "The Flower that Blooms on the Mountain Top" (嶺上開花, Lǐng Shàng Kāi Huā) which is a poetic metaphor symbolizing rare beauty and success against odds. This phrase gained widespread recognition through its association with the Mahjong anime Saki, where it featured as a dramatic and pivotal winning mahjong play.
Tiles to Play Yuxi Mahjong With
Yuxi Flower Blooming Mahjong, uses a total of 136 tiles. This includes 108 suit tiles, which consist of Bamboo, Dots, and Characters numbered 1 through 9, with 4 of each tile. Additionally, there are 28 honor tiles: 16 Wind tiles (East, South, West, North, with 4 of each) and 12 Dragon tiles (Red, Green, and White, with 4 of each). Flower and Season tiles, often used in other Mahjong variations, are not included in Yuxi Mahjong.
Basic Rules of Yuxi Flower Blooming 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 Yuxi Mahjong
Like most variants of mahjong, Yuxi 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 determined at the start of the game by rolling two six-sided dice. Each player takes turns rolling the dice, and the player with the highest total becomes the initial dealer. Alternatively, in some rulesets, the dice are rolled collectively, and the sum of the two dice determines the starting point for dealing tiles. The player sitting at the corresponding seat based on the dice roll becomes the dealer.
After the initial round, the dealer position rotates based on specific game outcomes. If the dealer wins the round or if the round ends in a draw, the same player continues as the dealer in the next round. However, if another player wins, the winner becomes the new dealer.
Setting Up The Wall
The next step is shuffling the tiles and building the wall. All 136 tiles are face-down on the table, players work together to build four tile walls. Each wall is constructed by stacking the tiles into two layers, with 17 tiles in each layer, resulting in a total of 34 tiles per wall. These walls are then arranged in a square formation, with each wall positioned in front of one of the four players, symbolizing their respective sides of the table.
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 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 are reserved to form the dead wall.
Additionally, in Yuxi Flower Blooming Mahjong, the two tiles on top of the last two stacks of the wall of the 14 reserved tiles are flipped face-up to serve as Gang indicator tiles (杠牌指示 - Gàng Pái Zhǐ Shì). These revealed tiles play a key role in guiding players' decisions for declaring Kongs and calling winning hands later in the game. More about this later in the guide.
Dealing The Hand
The next step is dealing the tiles starting with the dealer. After the wall is built and broken, the dealer begins distributing the tiles. The dealer starts by drawing the first four tiles (two from the top row and two from the bottom row) from the section immediately to the left of the break point. The tiles are distributed in sets of four, moving counterclockwise around the table, with each player receiving their tiles in turn.
This process continues until each player has received 12 tiles. Once every player has 12 tiles, the dealer draws an additional two tiles (bringing their total to 14 tiles) while the other players each draw one final tile (bringing their total to 13 tiles).
Bloom Tiles
Bloom Tiles are a unique feature in Yuxi Mahjong that adds excitement by helping players win "Kong on Flowers" flowers hands easier. In the event of a declared Kong instead of drawing a replacement tile, the player can match either Bloom Tiles to declare a win. Doing so will grant them the "Flower Blooming" (Kong on Flower) win!
Revealing Bloom Tiles
At the start of the game, the top two tiles of the last two stacks at the very end of the wall are flipped as Bloom Tiles. With the exception of the Bloom Tiles, the last 14 tiles of the game are reserved.
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.
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.
Arranging your Tiles
Remember, the goal of mahjong is to have all of your tiles arranged into four sets 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.
Discarding a Tile
It's generally wise to discard isolated tiles, single tiles that do not form pairs, Pungs, or Kongs. These tiles have the lowest potential for integration into valuable sets. Similarly, edge tiles like 1s and 9s are less versatile for forming sequences and are typically discarded early unless they fit into a specific strategy. Players should also consider discarding unrelated Wind tiles and Honor tiles (Dragons if included in your variation), especially if they don't align with the prevalent wind or seat wind. These tiles are only useful when forming specific scoring combinations, and holding them unnecessarily clutters your hand.
Arranging your Called and Discard Tiles
When you make a call, such as a Pung, Kong, or declare a winning hand, the tiles must be placed face-up in a designated area on your side of the table.
Discarded tiles should be arranged neatly in front of you on the table in rows of 6 for easy visibility. Proper arrangement ensures clarity for all players, especially when reviewing the flow of discards. This is also important for the Ten Old Men (Shi Lao Tou, 十老头) which onyl counts the first 10 Honor discards.
Winning in Yuxi Flower Blooming Mahjong
In Yuxi Mahjong, winning (胡牌 - Hú Pái) requires players to complete a valid hand consisting of four melds and one pair or seven pairs. The only exception is that a Basic Win, a hand with no other winning hands patterns, can only be won via self-draw.
If multiple players can claim the same discarded tile, all winning players score points independently, and the discarder pays all points.
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.
Base Score
The base score for Yuxi Flower Blooming Mahjong is 1 point. However you can make the base score for hands worth 1, 2, 3, or even 5 points.
Points and Payout in Yuxi Flower Blooming Mahjong
In Yuxi Mahjong, the points and payout are based on the type of winning hand they achieve. Although the exact points and payout system may vary depending on local rules.
Payout Formula
Payout = Base Points × Hand Type Multiplier
Who Pays
|
Winning Condition |
Who Pays? |
|
Self-Draw Win |
All three opponents pay the total score to the winner each. |
|
Winning by Discard |
The player who discarded the winning tile pays the entire amount to the winner. |
Yuxi Flower Blooming Mahjong Payout Table
| Hand Type | Points | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Win (Ping Hu, 平胡) | 1 | A hand with four melds and one pair, only achievable by self-draw. Cannot win on Discard. Only counts as Base Points. |
| All Triplets (Peng Peng Hu, 碰碰胡) | x2 | A hand composed entirely of triplets and one pair. |
| Full Flush (Qing Yi Se, 清一色) | x2 | A hand with all tiles from a single suit. |
| Seven Pairs (Xiao Qi Dui, 小七对) | x2 | A hand made up of seven pairs with no pung or kong. |
| Ten Old Men (Shi Lao Tou, 十老头) | x2 | Any valid winning hand where the player has discarded 10 honor tiles at the beginning of the game without pungs or kongs by other players |
| Flower Bloom / Kong-on-Flower (Gang Shang Hua, 杠上花)) | x2 | Winning immediately after drawing a tile from a kong. |
| Double Gang on Flower (双杠上花, Shuāng Gàng Shàng Huā) | x2 | Winning immediately after declaring consecutive kongs and drawing the winning tile from the final kong. |
| Kong Discard Win (Gang Shang Pao, 杠上炮) | x2 | Winning on a discard immediately after a kong is declared. |
| Robbing a Kong (Qiang Gang Hu, 抢杠胡) | x2 | Winning by claiming a tile that another player tries to declare as a kong. |
| Dragon Seven Pairs (Long Qi Dui, 龙七对) | x4 | A seven-pairs hand with one set of four identical tiles counted as two pairs. |
| Double Dragon Seven Pairs (双龙七对) | x8 | A seven-pairs hand with two set of four identical tiles counted as two pairs. |
| Triple Dragon Seven Pairs (三龙七对) | x16 | A seven-pairs hand with three set of four identical tiles counted as two pairs. |
| Pure Triple Dragon Seven Pairs (清三龙七对) | x32 | A Full Flush seven-pairs hand with three set of four identical tiles counted as two pairs. |
| Four Great Blessings (大四喜, Dà Sì Xǐ) | x32 | Winning with four wind sets (East, South, West, North). |
| Heavenly Win (天胡, Tiān Hú) | x32 | Winning with the dealer's starting hand before any moves. |
| Earthly Win (地胡, Dì Hú) | x32 | Winning immediately after the first discard by the dealer. |
