Chinese Official (MCR) mahjong: fan guide

In Chinese Official mahjong you need at least 8 fan to win. This page covers 16 common fan; each example lists every fan the scoring program found and the total.

A few things to know first

Each player holds 13 tiles; a winning hand has 14: four sets and a pair (seven pairs, thirteen orphans, knitted hands and a few others are exceptions).
All fan together must reach 8 to win; each flower adds 1 fan but does not count toward the 8.
A big fan excludes the smaller fan it already implies; for example, full flush does not also score no honors.
On a self-draw each of the other three pays fan + 8; on a discard win the discarder pays fan + 8 and the other two pay 8 each.

Fan entries

Every example and counterexample was checked by the game's scoring program; the result it produced is shown under each example.

Concealed Hand

2 fan#

No chow, pung or open kong, and you win on another player's discard. A concealed self-draw scores fully concealed hand instead.

Example

2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters7 Characters3 Dots4 Dots5 Dots9 Dots9 Dots6 Bamboo7 Bamboo Win8 Bamboo

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Short Straight1 fan
Pinfu2 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Total5 fan: below 8, cannot win

Counterexample

2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters7 Characters3 Dots4 Dots5 Dots9 Dots9 Dots6 Bamboo7 Bamboo Win8 Bamboo

Self-drawEast seatEast round

The same hand won by self-draw scores fully concealed hand (4 fan) instead of concealed hand.

Pinfu

2 fan#

All four sets are chows and the pair is a suit tile.

Example

2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters7 Characters3 Dots4 Dots5 Dots9 Dots9 Dots6 Bamboo7 Bamboo Win8 Bamboo

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Short Straight1 fan
Pinfu2 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Total5 fan: below 8, cannot win

Counterexample

2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters7 Characters3 Dots4 Dots5 Dots6 Bamboo7 BambooRed DragonRed Dragon Win8 Bamboo

On a discardEast seatEast round

The pair is an honor (red dragon), so it is not all chows.

All Simples

2 fan#

Only suit tiles from 2 to 8, with no terminals or honors.

Example

2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters7 Characters3 Dots4 Dots6 Bamboo7 Bamboo8 Bamboo8 Bamboo8 Bamboo Win5 Dots

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Short Straight1 fan
Pinfu2 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
All Simples2 fan
Total7 fan: below 8, cannot win

Counterexample

2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters7 Characters3 Dots4 Dots7 Bamboo8 Bamboo8 Bamboo8 Bamboo9 Bamboo Win5 Dots

On a discardEast seatEast round

A 9 of bamboo breaks all simples.

Dragon Pung

2 fan#

A pung of any dragon.

Example

2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters6 Dots7 Dots8 Dots3 Bamboo4 Bamboo5 Bamboo9 BambooRed DragonRed DragonRed Dragon Win9 Bamboo

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Dragon Pung2 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Single Wait1 fan
Total5 fan: below 8, cannot win

Counterexample

2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters6 Dots7 Dots8 Dots3 Bamboo4 Bamboo5 Bamboo9 Bamboo9 BambooRed DragonRed Dragon Win9 Bamboo

On a discardEast seatEast round

The red dragons are only a pair, not a pung.

Pure Double Chow

1 fan#

Two identical chows in the same suit.

Example

2 Characters2 Characters3 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Dots6 Dots7 Dots6 Bamboo7 Bamboo8 Bamboo9 Bamboo9 Bamboo Win4 Characters

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Pure Double Chow1 fan
Pinfu2 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Total5 fan: below 8, cannot win

Counterexample

2 Characters3 Characters3 Characters4 Characters4 Characters5 Dots6 Dots7 Dots6 Bamboo7 Bamboo8 Bamboo9 Bamboo9 Bamboo Win5 Characters

On a discardEast seatEast round

2-3-4 and 3-4-5 of characters are different numbers.

Mixed Double Chow

1 fan#

The same chow in two suits, such as 2-3-4 of characters and 2-3-4 of dots.

Example

2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters2 Dots3 Dots4 Dots5 Bamboo6 Bamboo7 Bamboo7 Bamboo8 Bamboo9 BambooRed Dragon WinRed Dragon

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Mixed Double Chow1 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Single Wait1 fan
Total4 fan: below 8, cannot win

Counterexample

2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters3 Dots4 Dots5 Dots5 Bamboo6 Bamboo7 Bamboo7 Bamboo8 Bamboo9 BambooRed Dragon WinRed Dragon

On a discardEast seatEast round

The characters and dots chows have different numbers.

All Types

6 fan#

Characters, dots, bamboo, winds and dragons all appear.

Example

1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters4 Dots5 Dots6 Dots7 Bamboo8 Bamboo9 BambooEast WindEast WindEast WindRed Dragon WinRed Dragon

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Prevalent Wind2 fan
Seat Wind2 fan
Mixed Straight8 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Single Wait1 fan
All Types6 fan
Total21 fan: enough to win

Counterexample

1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters4 Dots5 Dots6 Dots7 Bamboo8 Bamboo9 BambooEast WindEast WindEast WindSouth Wind WinSouth Wind

On a discardEast seatEast round

The pair is the south wind; there is no dragon.

Fully exposed hand

6 fan#

All four sets were called with chow or pung, and you win on another player's discard waiting on a single tile.

Example

5 Dots Win5 Dots 1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters4 Bamboo5 Bamboo6 Bamboo7 Dots7 Dots7 Dots2 Bamboo3 Bamboo4 Bamboo

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Fully exposed hand6 fan
No Honors1 fan
Total7 fan: below 8, cannot win

Counterexample

5 Dots Win5 Dots 1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters4 Bamboo5 Bamboo6 Bamboo7 Dots7 Dots7 Dots2 Bamboo3 Bamboo4 Bamboo

Self-drawEast seatEast round

The last tile was self-drawn, so it is not melded hand.

All Pungs

6 fan#

All four sets are pungs (or kongs).

Example

9 Characters4 Dots4 Dots4 Dots7 Bamboo7 Bamboo7 Bamboo Win9 Characters 2 Characters2 Characters2 Characters5 Dots5 Dots5 Dots

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

All Pungs6 fan
Two Concealed Pungs2 fan
Single Wait1 fan
No Honors1 fan
Total10 fan: enough to win

Counterexample

9 Characters4 Dots4 Dots4 Dots7 Bamboo8 Bamboo9 Bamboo Win9 Characters 2 Characters2 Characters2 Characters5 Dots5 Dots5 Dots

On a discardEast seatEast round

One of them is a chow.

Half flush

6 fan#

Suit tiles of a single suit, plus honors.

Example

1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters7 Characters8 CharactersEast WindEast WindEast WindRed Dragon WinRed Dragon

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Prevalent Wind2 fan
Seat Wind2 fan
Short Straight1 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Single Wait1 fan
Half flush6 fan
Total14 fan: enough to win

Counterexample

1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Dots7 Dots8 DotsEast WindEast WindEast WindRed Dragon WinRed Dragon

On a discardEast seatEast round

Dots have crept in.

Mixed Straight

8 fan#

1-2-3, 4-5-6 and 7-8-9, each in a different suit: together they make a dragon.

Example

1 Characters2 Characters2 Characters3 Characters3 Characters4 Characters4 Dots5 Dots6 Dots7 Bamboo8 Bamboo9 BambooRed Dragon WinRed Dragon

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Mixed Straight8 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Single Wait1 fan
Total11 fan: enough to win

Counterexample

1 Characters2 Characters2 Characters3 Characters3 Characters4 Characters4 Dots5 Dots6 Dots7 Dots8 Dots9 DotsRed Dragon WinRed Dragon

On a discardEast seatEast round

4-5-6 and 7-8-9 are both in dots, so only two suits are used.

Mixed Triple Chow

8 fan#

The same chow in characters, dots and bamboo.

Example

1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters1 Dots2 Dots3 Dots1 Bamboo2 Bamboo3 Bamboo9 Bamboo Win9 Bamboo

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Mixed Triple Chow8 fan
Short Straight1 fan
Pinfu2 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Single Wait1 fan
Total14 fan: enough to win

Counterexample

1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters1 Dots2 Dots3 Dots2 Bamboo3 Bamboo4 Bamboo9 Bamboo Win9 Bamboo

On a discardEast seatEast round

The bamboo chow is 2-3-4, a different number.

Pure Straight

16 fan#

1-2-3, 4-5-6 and 7-8-9 in one suit.

Example

1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters7 Characters8 Characters2 Dots3 Dots4 Dots5 Bamboo5 Bamboo Win9 Characters

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Pure Straight16 fan
Pinfu2 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Total20 fan: enough to win

Counterexample

1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters6 Characters2 Dots3 Dots4 Dots7 Dots8 Dots5 Bamboo5 Bamboo Win9 Dots

On a discardEast seatEast round

The 7-8-9 is in dots, a different suit, so it is not a pure straight.

Seven Pairs

24 fan#

Seven pairs. In MCR four identical tiles may count as two pairs (scoring tile hog as well).

Example

1 Characters1 Characters2 Characters2 Characters3 Dots3 Dots4 Dots4 Dots5 Bamboo5 Bamboo6 Bamboo6 BambooWhite Dragon WinWhite Dragon

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Seven Pairs24 fan
Total24 fan: enough to win

Counterexample

1 Characters1 Characters2 Characters2 Characters3 Dots3 Dots4 Dots4 Dots5 Bamboo5 Bamboo6 BambooWhite DragonWhite Dragon WinWhite Dragon

On a discardEast seatEast round

Only six pairs: not a winning hand.

Full flush

24 fan#

Only one suit, no honors.

Example

1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters5 Characters6 Characters7 Characters7 Characters8 Characters9 Characters9 Characters Win9 Characters

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Four Pure Shifted Chows32 fan
Pinfu2 fan
Concealed Hand2 fan
Full flush24 fan
Total60 fan: enough to win

Counterexample

1 Characters2 Characters3 Characters3 Characters4 Characters5 Characters5 Characters6 Characters7 Characters7 Characters8 Characters9 Characters9 Dots Win9 Dots

On a discardEast seatEast round

The pair is in dots, so there is more than one suit.

Thirteen Orphans

88 fan#

One each of the 13 terminals and honors, plus a second of any one of them.

Example

1 Characters1 Characters1 Dots9 Dots1 Bamboo9 BambooEast WindSouth WindWest WindNorth WindRed DragonGreen DragonWhite Dragon Win9 Characters

On a discardEast seatEast round

Counted by the scoring program:

Thirteen Orphans88 fan
Total88 fan: enough to win

Counterexample

1 Characters1 Characters9 Characters1 Dots9 Dots1 Bamboo9 BambooEast WindSouth WindWest WindNorth WindRed DragonGreen Dragon WinGreen Dragon

On a discardEast seatEast round

No white dragon, so the 13 kinds are not complete.

Rules version mcr/2026.09-p2

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