---
title: "Chinese Chess Pieces, Mahjong and Board Games in Chinese: Names With Pinyin and Sound"
description: "48 game words in Chinese: the Chinese chess pieces (帅, 将, 车, 马, 炮), playing chess, mahjong (碰, 和, 自摸) and other games (围棋, 斗地主), each with pinyin, its meaning and sound."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-chess-pieces"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 48 words

# Chinese chess pieces, mahjong and board games

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E5%B8%85%20%E5%B0%86%20%E5%A3%AB%20%E8%B1%A1%20%E7%9B%B8%20%E8%BD%A6%20%E9%A9%AC%20%E7%82%AE%20%E5%85%B5%20%E5%8D%92%20%E8%B1%A1%E6%A3%8B%20%E4%B8%8B%E6%A3%8B%20%E6%A3%8B%E7%9B%98%20%E6%A3%8B%E5%AD%90%20%E6%A5%9A%E6%B2%B3%E6%B1%89%E7%95%8C%20%E5%B0%86%E5%86%9B%20%E5%BC%80%E5%B1%80%20%E6%AE%8B%E5%B1%80%20%E5%92%8C%E6%A3%8B%20%E8%AE%A4%E8%BE%93%20%E6%A3%8B%E6%89%8B%20%E5%AF%B9%E6%89%8B%20%E8%B5%A2%20%E8%BE%93%20%E5%B9%B3%E5%B1%80%20%E9%BA%BB%E5%B0%86%20%E9%BA%BB%E5%B0%86%E7%89%8C%20%E7%A2%B0%20%E5%92%8C%20%E5%90%AC%E7%89%8C%20%E8%87%AA%E6%91%B8%20%E5%BA%84%E5%AE%B6%20%E6%B4%97%E7%89%8C%20%E4%B8%9C%E9%A3%8E%20%E5%8D%97%E9%A3%8E%20%E8%A5%BF%E9%A3%8E%20%E5%8C%97%E9%A3%8E%20%E7%99%BD%E6%9D%BF%20%E5%9B%BD%E9%99%85%E8%B1%A1%E6%A3%8B%20%E5%9B%B4%E6%A3%8B%20%E4%BA%94%E5%AD%90%E6%A3%8B%20%E8%B7%B3%E6%A3%8B%20%E5%86%9B%E6%A3%8B%20%E6%96%97%E5%9C%B0%E4%B8%BB%20%E6%89%91%E5%85%8B%20%E7%BA%B8%E7%89%8C%20%E9%AA%B0%E5%AD%90%20%E6%A1%8C%E6%B8%B8)

Speed

## The chess pieces

shuài帅

(Chinese chess) king (red side)

jiàng将

general; commander

shì士

guard (in Chinese chess)

xiàng象

elephant

xiàng相

prime minister

jū车

chariot (piece in Chinese chess)

mǎ马

horse

pào炮

cannon; artillery gun

bīng兵

pawn (in Chinese chess)

zú卒

pawn (in Chinese chess)

## Playing chess

xiàng象qí棋

Chinese chess

xià下qí棋

to play chess or go

qí棋pán盘

chessboard; board for a board game

qí棋zǐ子

chess piece

chǔ楚hé河hàn汉jiè界

the river border on a Chinese chessboard

jiāng将jūn军

to check (in Chinese chess)

kāi开jú局

opening; start (of a game or period)

cán残jú局

endgame (in chess)

hé和qí棋

draw (in chess)

rèn认shū输

to admit defeat; to give up

qí棋shǒu手

chess player; go player

duì对shǒu手

opponent; rival

yíng赢

to win; to beat

shū输

to lose; to be defeated

píng平jú局

draw; tie (in a game)

## Mahjong

má麻jiàng将

mahjong

má麻jiàng将pái牌

mahjong tile

pèng碰

(mahjong) pung

hú和

to win a hand (in mahjong)

tīng听pái牌

to be one tile away from winning (in mahjong)

zì自mō摸

self-drawn winning tile (in mahjong)

zhuāng庄jiā家

dealer; banker (in gambling)

xǐ洗pái牌

to shuffle cards

dōng东fēng风

east wind; spring breeze

nán南fēng风

south wind

xī西fēng风

west wind

běi北fēng风

north wind

bái白bǎn板

white dragon (mahjong tile)

## Other games

guó国jì际xiàng象qí棋

chess

wéi围qí棋

go (board game); weiqi

wǔ五zǐ子qí棋

gomoku; five in a row

tiào跳qí棋

Chinese checkers; checkers

jūn军qí棋

army chess (Chinese board game)

dòu斗dì地zhǔ主

Dou Dizhu ("fight the landlord", a popular card game)

pū扑kè克

poker; playing cards

zhǐ纸pái牌

playing cards; card game

tóu骰zi子

dice; die

zhuō桌yóu游

board game; tabletop game

## What are the Chinese chess pieces called?

Each side has the same seven pieces. Red writes them 帅, 仕, 相, 车, 马, 炮, 兵 and Black 将, 士, 象, 车, 马, 炮, 卒, so the king, guard, elephant and soldier have a different character on each side; some sets also give Red 俥 and 傌 and Black 砲. 帅 (shuài, king) and 将 (jiàng, general) are the two kings.

## Why is 车 read jū in Chinese chess?

车 (jū, chariot). Everywhere else 车 is chē, a car, but the chess piece keeps the old reading for a war chariot.

## What is the river in the middle of the board?

楚河汉界 (chǔhéhànjiè, the river border on a Chinese chessboard): the Chu River and the Han border, after the war between the states of Chu and Han that ended in 202 BC.

## What do 碰 and 和 mean in mahjong?

碰 (pèng, pung) is taking a discarded tile to make three of a kind, and 和 (hú, to win a hand) is winning the hand; win on a tile you drew yourself and it is 自摸 (zìmō, self-drawn winning tile).

## Can’t hear it?

Play uses your device’s Mandarin voice. Edge, Chrome and Safari have one; a browser with none plays each character in our recorded voice instead.

## More to read and play

- [Kung fu and martial arts in Chinese](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-martial-arts)
- [Chinese warriors and emperors](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-warrior-and-emperor-names)
- [The Chinese dynasties](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-dynasties)
- [Chinese matching game](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-matching-game)

Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary.