Big Four Winds

What Is Big Four Winds

Big Four Winds is one of the most prestigious and highest-scoring hands in Chinese Mahjong, worth 88 fan. To achieve it, you form pungs/kongs of all four Winds—East, South, West, North—plus one pair of any other tile. While opponents often scramble to hoard or block the necessary Wind tiles once they see you collecting multiple Wind pungs, the payoff is colossal if you manage to gather all four sets. By identifying multiple Wind pairs early, promptly melding when possible, and carefully choosing your pair, you can pursue a dramatic and memorable “Big Four Winds” finish that can swing an entire game in your favor.

The Tile Pattern of Big Four Winds

Big Four Winds hand must have:

• Pung/Kong of East
• Pung/Kong of South
• Pung/Kong of West
• Pung/Kong of North

No mere pair for any Wind; you must have four sets of Winds, one for each direction, all three-of-a-kind (pungs) or four-of-a-kind (kongs). Because a standard hand requires four melds plus one pair, all four melds are used up by these Wind pungs/kongs; then you have one pair of any other tile (honor tile or suited tile) to reach 14 total tiles.

Fan Value of Big Four Winds

Under Chinese Mahjong rules, Big Four Winds is awarded 88 fan—the maximum level of fan in the standard chart. Only a handful of extremely rare hands share the same 88-fan level. Achieving “Big Four Winds” practically guarantees a huge point swing in that round.

Strategies and Considerations of Big Four Winds

Collect Winds Quickly: If you start with multiple pairs of different Winds (e.g., two East, two South, two West), you might aim for “Big Four Winds.” You do not want to discard any Wind that might help you. Identify potential leftover suits/honors for your pair, but primarily keep all Winds.

Calling Pungs: You can call a pung whenever an opponent discards the third copy of a Wind you are collecting. This accelerates your progress but also makes your intention very obvious—opponents will become extremely cautious about discarding other Winds.

Concealed Hand: Forming “Big Four Winds” purely through self-draw is possible but rarer. You might gain additional small bonuses if fully concealed or if you self-draw the final tile. But the main payoff is always the 88 fan.

Immediate Threat: Once you declare even two different Wind pungs, opponents will suspect you are aiming for “Little Four Winds” (64 fan) or “Big Four Winds” (88 fan). They might refrain from discarding further Winds or intentionally keep them to block you.

Tile Counting: Only 4 copies of each Wind exist. If opponents realize you need, say, the fourth East to complete a pung, they can hold it. Overcoming this defense often requires luck or skillful discarding to lure it out.

Flexible Pair: You only need a two-tile pair from any other tile—this might be a Dragon or a suited tile like 5 B, whichever you end up with.

Possible Small Bonuses: If your pair is a Dragon or your seat wind, you gain minor extra fan. However, overshadowed by the massive 88-fan from “Big Four Winds.”

Scarcity of Wind Tiles: Since you need all four Winds in sets, collecting them is tough if even one or two gets withheld by opponents. If you do complete “Big Four Winds,” you typically win an enormous number of points, which can decide the entire match.