Sifang City: Cantonese Mahjong Guide
Sifang City (四方城) is a four-player online Cantonese mahjong game that runs in your browser, with seven rule sets including 3-Fan Minimum, Cantonese with Flowers and Running Horses. You play in 3D Hong Kong streets, alleys and rooftops, can invite friends to a private room by code, and AI players can fill empty seats. The game comes in six languages. Chips are for entertainment only and cannot be exchanged for cash or prizes.
The seven rule sets
3-Fan Minimum (三番起糊)
The mainstream Hong Kong game: 136 tiles, no flowers, and a hand needs three fan to win. All chows score 1 fan, all pongs and half flush 3, little dragons 5, little winds 6 and full flush 7, up to the eight-fan limit. On a discard win the discarder pays in full and the other two players each pay half. On a self-draw all three pay in full. If several players can win on one discard, only the nearest to the discarder does. Seven pairs is not a winning hand.
Cantonese with Flowers (花牌廣東牌)
144 tiles with flowers and seasons, and three fan to win. A drawn flower is set aside and replaced. No flowers or your seat flower each add 1 fan, and a full flower set adds 2. Seven flowers win on the spot as a three-fan self-draw, and all eight score the limit. Everything else is scored like the 3-Fan game.
1-Fan Minimum (一番起糊)
Scored like the 3-Fan game, but one fan is enough to win, so it is easier to pick up.
Chicken Hands Allowed (雞糊局)
Scored like the 3-Fan game, but even a zero-fan chicken hand wins. Payouts are small and the pace is the quickest, which suits beginners.
Running Horses (跑馬仔)
No fan and no chows, only pongs and kongs. Any four sets and a pair wins for 2 points: the discarder pays on a discard win, each of the three others pays on a self-draw, and one discard can pay several winners. A self-draw opens 2 bonus horses, plus 1 more for each of the winner's kongs. Each horse that hits costs the three others 2 points each. Horses count from the dealer: East is 1, 5, 9 and East; South is 2, 6, South and Red; West is 3, 7, West and Green; North is 4, 8, North and White. A fed kong earns 3 points from the giver, an added kong 1 from each player and a concealed kong 2 from each. Kongs settle at the end of the hand, even on a draw. A self-draw from a kong replacement or a robbed kong opens no horses.
Push Down (推倒胡)
Common in Guangdong. There are no chows and you cannot win on another player's discard, only by self-draw or by robbing a kong, so hands end quickly. A small self-draw costs each player 2 points. Big hands such as full flush, all honors, seven pairs, thirteen orphans and big dragons pay double. Kongs score separately: 3 points from the giver of a fed kong, 1 from each player for an added kong and 2 from each for a concealed kong.
Chicken and Ping (雞平胡)
A relaxed Guangdong game where zero fan can win. All chows score 1 fan, all pongs and half flush 2, full flush 4, and the biggest hands up to 6. Chows, pongs, kongs and discard wins are all allowed, and one discard can pay several winners. If you pass on a tile that would win, you cannot win on that tile until your next draw or meld.
How to start playing
- Open seifongsing.com on a phone or computer. There is nothing to download.
- The game opens in Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong). Use the language menu to switch to English.
- Pick a rule set and a table, then choose Find a table. AI players fill any seats still empty after a short wait.
- To play with friends, choose Create friend room and tell them the six-character room code. They choose Join with a code and type it in.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Running Horses (跑馬仔)?
There is no fan scoring and no chows, only pongs and kongs. Any four sets and a pair wins for 2 points. A self-draw opens 2 bonus horses, plus 1 for each of the winner's kongs, and each horse that hits costs the three others 2 points each. Kongs also pay: 3 points for a fed kong, 1 from each player for an added kong and 2 from each for a concealed kong.
What does 3-fan minimum (三番起糊) mean?
A hand must be worth at least three fan before you can declare it, even if it is complete. All pongs or a half flush are worth 3 fan on their own. In Sifang City the 3-Fan game has an eight-fan limit, and higher fan pays more.
How is Cantonese mahjong different from Taiwanese mahjong?
In Cantonese mahjong each player holds 13 tiles, wins with four sets and a pair, and scores in fan. In Taiwanese mahjong each player holds 16 tiles, needs five sets and a pair, and scores in tai. Sifang City offers 13-tile Cantonese and Guangdong rule sets and has no 16-tile Taiwanese game at present.
Can I play for free?
Yes. Playing in the browser costs nothing and needs no download. New players start with chips they can take to a table.
Is it real money? Can chips be cashed out?
No. Chips are for entertainment only. They have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash or prizes or transferred to another player.
Can I play with friends?
Yes. Create a friend room to get a six-character room code. Friends choose Join with a code, type it in and sit at your table.
Do I need four people to play?
No. AI players fill empty seats at matchmaking tables, and the host of a friend room can choose Fill seats with AI, so two or three friends can still start a game.
Which rule set is best for beginners?
Start with Chicken Hands Allowed: even a zero-fan hand wins and the pace is quick. Then try 1-Fan Minimum, and move on to 3-Fan Minimum, the mainstream Hong Kong game.
What languages does it support?
繁體中文（香港）, 繁體中文（台灣）, 简体中文, English, 日本語 and 한국어. You can change language at any time from the language menu.