About Mah Jong

A typical set-up of tiles in a four-player mah jong game

Games enthusiasts worldwide enjoy mah jong, a skill- and chance-based game with a reputation as "the game of 100 wonders" and "10,000 possibilities," according to Jelte Rep, author of "The Great Mahjong Book."

History

Myths abound about mah jong's ancient Chinese roots. One story claims a beautiful princess invented it to relieve boredom in the court of King Wu, in 427 B.C. In fact, the game has only existed since the 19th century.

Name

"Mah jong" is a transliteration of the game's Chinese name. "Mahjong," "mahjongg" and "majiang" are just three of at least 18 alternative English spellings. Its original name was "ma que," which meant "sparrow."

Pieces

The game requires dice and at least 144 tiles. They are all numbered, and traditionally fall into the categories or suits of circles, bamboos, characters, dragons, winds, bonus and blank tiles.

Game play

Each player takes 13 tiles from the pool. By putting down and picking up tiles, each participant aims to collect four matching sets (melds) of tiles and one pair to win the game. The exact rules vary.

Gambling

In China, mah jong has a reputation for being addictive. Its popularity as a gambling game means that many Chinese people associate it with the criminal underworld.

References

• "The Great Mahjong Book: History, Lore and Play"; Jelte Rep; 2007
• "Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture"; Edward L. Davis; 2004

Resources

• Mahjong News: The Independent Internet Mahjong Newspaper