Chinese Official Mahjong · 12 pt

Upper Four in Chinese Official Mahjong (MCR): Points, Examples and Odds

In Chinese Official Mahjong, Upper Four (大于五, "greater than five") is worth 12 points: when you win, every tile — in hand and in exposed chows, pungs and kongs — is a 6, 7, 8 or 9 of characters, dots or bamboo, with no honors. On its own it clears the 8-point minimum.

The rules for Upper Four

• All 14 tiles are 6s, 7s, 8s or 9s (five itself is not allowed)
• No honors
• The only chows are 6-7-8 and 7-8-9
• Claiming is allowed, no concealed hand needed; Seven Pairs can be Upper Four too

What Upper Four does not combine with

• No Honors (1 point)

If the hand uses only 7, 8 and 9, it becomes Upper Tiles (24 points) instead, and Upper Tiles does not also count Upper Four.

How Upper Four is scored

The points below are calculated live by this site's scoring engine — the same one the game uses — including the fans dropped under the non-repeat rule.

Common combinations:

Related fans

• Upper Tiles: only 7, 8 and 9, 24 points — the stricter version of Upper Four.
• Lower Four: the mirror image with only 1 to 4, also 12 points.
• No Honors: implied by Upper Four, not counted.
• All Simples: counted when the hand has no 9.

How often does Upper Four happen?

6, 7, 8 and 9 make 48 tiles across the three suits, about a third of the 136, so an opening hand landing entirely inside them is very unusual; Upper Four means swapping out every low tile and honor along the way. Upper Four is not one of the target patterns of this site's AI and only appears by accident: in 3,849 AI wins it appeared 2 times. The sample is too small for a rate; it is rare.

When to go for Upper Four

• A high-numbered opening hand: lots of 6 to 9, few honors.
• 6-7-8 or 7-8-9 in all three suits: add Mixed Triple Chow for another 8 points.
• Discard 5 and below and every honor first — not one may stay.
• No need to stay concealed: chow and pung 6s to 9s.

When to give up: you still hold three or more tiles of 5 or lower and have nothing else to build on. To try it yourself, play Chinese Official Mahjong online — the scoring is automatic.

FAQ

How many points is Upper Four?

Upper Four is worth 12 points in Chinese Official Mahjong. No Honors is not counted on top.

Can Upper Four include a 5?

No. "Greater than five" excludes the 5; only 6, 7, 8 and 9 are allowed.

What is the difference between Upper Four and Upper Tiles?

Upper Four allows 6s and scores 12 points; Upper Tiles allows only 7, 8 and 9 and scores 24 points. With Upper Tiles, Upper Four is no longer counted.

Related fan

Lower Four 12 pt A whole hand of 1s to 4s for 12 points: rules, the difference from Lower Tiles, what it stacks with. Upper Tiles 24 pt A whole hand of 7s, 8s and 9s for 24 points: rules, the difference from Upper Four, what it stacks with. No Honors 1 pt No honor tiles for 1 point — mostly earned in All Pungs or Seven Pairs; All Chows, All Simples and Full Flush drop it.