Chinese Official Mahjong · 12 pt

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

In Chinese Official Mahjong, Lower Four (小于五, "less than five") is worth 12 points: when you win, every tile — in hand and in exposed chows, pungs and kongs — is a 1, 2, 3 or 4 of characters, dots or bamboo, with no honors. On its own it clears the 8-point minimum.

The rules for Lower Four

• All 14 tiles are 1s, 2s, 3s or 4s (five itself is not allowed)
• No honors
• The only chows are 1-2-3 and 2-3-4
• Claiming is allowed, no concealed hand needed; Seven Pairs can be Lower Four too

What Lower Four does not combine with

• No Honors (1 point)

If the hand uses only 1, 2 and 3, it becomes Lower Tiles (24 points) instead, and Lower Tiles does not also count Lower Four.

How Lower 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

• Lower Tiles: only 1, 2 and 3, 24 points — the stricter version of Lower Four.
• Upper Four: the mirror image with only 6 to 9, also 12 points.
• No Honors: implied by Lower Four, not counted.
• All Simples: counted when the hand has no 1.

How often does Lower Four happen?

1, 2, 3 and 4 make 48 tiles across the three suits, about a third of the 136, so an opening hand landing entirely inside them is very unusual. Lower 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 0 times. The sample is too small for a rate; it is rare.

When to go for Lower Four

• A low-numbered opening hand: lots of 1 to 4, few honors.
• 1-2-3 or 2-3-4 in all three suits: add Mixed Triple Chow for another 8 points.
• Discard 5 and above and every honor first — not one may stay.
• No need to stay concealed: chow and pung 1s to 4s.

When to give up: you still hold three or more tiles of 5 or higher 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 Lower Four?

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

Can Lower Four include a 5?

No. "Less than five" excludes the 5; only 1, 2, 3 and 4 are allowed.

What is the difference between Lower Four and Lower Tiles?

Lower Four allows 4s and scores 12 points; Lower Tiles allows only 1, 2 and 3 and scores 24 points. With Lower Tiles, Lower Four is no longer counted.

Related fan

Upper Four 12 pt A whole hand of 6s to 9s for 12 points: rules, the difference from Upper Tiles, what it stacks with. Lower Tiles 24 pt A whole hand of 1s, 2s and 3s for 24 points: rules, the difference from Lower 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.