Chinese Worldview Reflected in Ancient Mahjong

By Li Gang



Chinese Worldview Reflected in Ancient Mahjong

By Li Gang

in playing mahjong， an ancient Chinese board game requiring both ethective planning and quick thinking，intelligence alone doesn’t create winners. Instead，players must depend not only on their smarts but also on keeping their emotions in check， embodying a particular Chinese art of conduct.

It is well known that Go-an ancient strategy game that also originated in China-is a game for the clever. But even the most highly skilled Go players find difficulty in playing mahjong. Some claim mahjong to be a game of luck rather than an intellectual challenge. But in traditional Chinese logic， the most complicated game must be the one that puts the brightest minds at their wits’ end， and that game is mahjong.

Just as in poker， each mahjong player has a distinct“tell” that only the most careful observer can detect. References to these indications of weakness appear in various Chinese literature classics， such as Flowers in the Mirror （1827） and Dream of the Red Chamber （18th century， exact publishing date unknown）. In Chapter 47 of Dream of the Red Chamber， entitled “A stupid bully is beaten up for his amorous advances， a cool young gentleman leaves home for fear of reprisals”， author Cao Xueqin describes in great detail the complexities of mahjong in a game played by prominent characters in the book-Lady Dowager， Aunt Xue and Xifeng，amongst others.

“After they had played for a while， Yuanyang noticed that the old lady needed only a ‘two of circles’ to win the game， and she signaled this to Xifeng whose turn it was to discard，” Cao writes. “Xifeng deliberately hesitated. ‘I’m sure Aunt Xue has the tile I want，’ she said， ‘If I don’t play this she’ll never part with it.’”

Yuanyang uses tricks to influence Xifeng’s decision in what he chooses to discard， much like modern day poker in the western world. Bluffs and tells can work both ways， and players are forced to keep their emotions in careful check to avoid giving away any hints of strength or weakness.

Mahjong and bridge， a popular card game in the western world， are both four player games. However，their rules differ significantly. Bridge features sets of two players working together， while mahjong players are ethectively on their own. To complete a set of tiles -a crucial part of the game of mahjong-players must guess which tiles the other players are holding. As discarding the incorrect tiles can ruin an entire game for a player，they need to be extremely careful in selecting which tiles to let go of， and which to keep. the worst case scenario for any player is to discard the exact tile their opponent needs-gifting that opponent a huge advantage. Quite othen， a player would choose to lose an entire set than to throw away the wrong tile.

This embodies a particular kind of conduct. During the game， planning is indeed crucial， but quick decisions and reactions to changing situations are also vital. Different types of personality hold certain advantages for players. For instance， perceptive people can watch their opponents’ changing moods and mannerisms，allowing them to make an educated guess on which tiles their opponent holds. A flexible person may possess the skill to quickly change tactics as the game changes， in an ethort to get the best possible result.

Likewise， certain other personality characteristics may prove a hindrance. A greedy person might try to take too much， too quickly， yielding little in the game of mahjong. An indecisive person may hesitate too much，missing the perfect opportunity to gain an advantage. Mahjong is easy to describe， but extremely difficult to play due to emotional nuances. Experienced players tend to perform best， as they have grown accustomed to the game’s unique blend of chance and analytical thinking.

These factors that define mahjong do not dither greatly from life in China in general， or from how Chinese people tend to see the world. Chance is attributed entirely to luck， of which people have no control over. Intelligence points to skill and positive personality factors， such as patience， perceptiveness or flexibility. As the result in mahjong is determined by a combination of chance and intelligence， the ever-optimistic Chinese have no trouble attributing a victory to their superior skills and a loss to their rotten luck. Both winners and losers leave the game feeling comfortable with their ethorts.

Bridge in the west demands cooperation among players， while mahjong focuses on self defense. However， if one player in a game of mahjong jumps out to an early lead， it is common for the remaining three players to jointly target the leader. the social structure of the game changes as the overall situation does.

An accurate reflection of Chinese attitudes and optimism， mahjong， just as in life， requires a cohesive blend of intelligence and luck to bring about success.

About the author:

The author is a professor of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.