Taiwanese Mahjong · 4 tai
Little Three Dragons (Xiao San Yuan) in Taiwanese Mahjong: Tai, Examples and Odds
In Taiwanese mahjong, Little Three Dragons (小三元, xiao san yuan) is worth 4 tai: of the three dragons — Red, Green and White — two are pungs (or kongs) and the third is exactly your pair. Little Three Dragons already includes those two dragon pungs; they are not added again.
On this page
The rules for Little Three Dragons
- Two of Red, Green and White are pungs or kongs: claimed, self-drawn, exposed or concealed kongs all count
- The third dragon is the pair (exactly two)
- The other three sets are free: chows and pungs, any suit or winds
- No need to stay concealed
Dragon Pung, Little and Big Three Dragons
| Hand | Dragon pungs | Pair | Tai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Pung ×2 | Two | Not a dragon | 2 |
| Little Three Dragons | Two | The third dragon | 4 |
| Big Three Dragons | Three | — | 8 |
One family, only the highest counts: Little Three Dragons doesn't add the two dragon pungs.
How Little Three Dragons waits
Two pairs of dragons
One dragon pung done and a pair of each of the other two: whichever you win on, it's Little Three Dragons — two tiles to wait on.
Waiting on Big or Little Three Dragons
Both dragon pungs done, a pair of the third dragon and another pair: win on the dragon for Big Three Dragons, on the other tile for Little Three Dragons.
How Little Three Dragons is scored
The tai below are computed live by the same scoring code the game uses (dealer and dealer-streak tai are added on top).
Won on a discard
| Little three dragons (小三元) | 4 |
| Total | 4 tai |
|---|
Dealer and dealer-streak tai are added on top.
Won on a discard
| Little three dragons (小三元) | 4 |
| One suit with honors (混一色) | 4 |
| Total | 8 tai |
|---|
Dealer and dealer-streak tai are added on top.
Common combinations:
| Combination | Tai |
|---|---|
| Little Three Dragons | 4 |
| Little Three Dragons + Half One Suit | 8 |
| Little Three Dragons + All Pungs | 8 |
| Little Three Dragons + Half One Suit + All Pungs | 12 |
| Little Three Dragons + All Honors | 20 |
How it relates to other hands
- Dragon Pung: 1 tai per dragon pung. Little Three Dragons includes its two dragon pungs; they aren't counted twice.
- Big Three Dragons: all three dragons as pungs, 8 tai. Drawing one more of your pair dragon gets you there, but then you need a new pair.
- Half One Suit: dragons are honors, so if the other three sets are one suit it's Half One Suit too, 8 tai in total.
- All Pungs: dragons can only be punged, so Little Three Dragons often ends up as All Pungs.
- All Honors: five pungs and a pair use six of the seven honor kinds, so All Honors always comes with Little or Big Three Dragons or Little or Big Four Winds.
Little Three Dragons odds
Dragon pairs in the opening hand
Little Three Dragons needs at least two of each dragon. In a random 16-tile opening hand:
| Opening hand | Chance |
|---|---|
| Two or more dragons as a pair (or better) | 1.1% |
| All three dragons as a pair (or better) | 0.02% |
Starting with pairs of all three is very rare; most Little Three Dragons start with two dragon pairs and pick up the third along the way.
Little Three Dragons in computer play
In 12,000 hands of normal-level computer play there were 11,677 wins, and only 2 of them were Little Three Dragons. The computers play fast and never hold tiles for it, so this only shows that it rarely happens by accident — the sample is far too small to be its real frequency.
Which hands suit Little Three Dragons
- Two dragon pairs at the start: pung them when they come — each pung is already 1 tai and costs you no speed.
- A single tile of the third dragon: keep it and wait for its pair; the second copy gives you the Little Three Dragons shape.
- Two of the third dragon already discarded: only one is left, so the pair is unlikely — settle for two dragon pungs.
- Others will defend: with two dragon pungs out, everyone knows you want the third and won't discard it. Self-drawing becomes more likely than winning on a discard.
When to give up: two or more of the third dragon are already out, or the wall is running low and your other three sets aren't formed. Two dragon pungs are still 2 tai — take the win when it comes. To practise, open a table of online Taiwanese mahjong — the computers play with you and count the tai for you.
Little Three Dragons in other mahjong styles
- Japanese mahjong: Shousangen, 2 han, plus the two dragon yakuhai (Japanese mahjong yaku list)
- Hong Kong mahjong: Little Three Dragons, 5 fan (Hong Kong mahjong fan list)
- Chinese Official (Guobiao): Little Three Dragons, 64 fan (Guobiao mahjong fan list)
FAQ
How many tai is Little Three Dragons?
In Taiwanese mahjong Little Three Dragons is worth 4 tai, including its two dragon pungs. It stacks with Half One Suit, All Pungs, concealed pungs, concealed self-draw and more.
Do you add the dragon pungs to Little Three Dragons?
Not on this site — 4 tai is the total. Some tables add the two dragon pungs on top; agree before you play.
Can you chow in Little Three Dragons?
Yes. Only the dragons matter; the other three sets can be chows or pungs, and the hand doesn't need to be concealed.
What's the difference between Little and Big Three Dragons?
Little Three Dragons is two dragon pungs with the third dragon as the pair, 4 tai; Big Three Dragons is all three as pungs, 8 tai.
Related hands
Big Three Dragons 8 tai
Pungs of all three dragons — an 8-tai big hand. Examples, scoring combos, and what your opening hand needs.
Dragon Pung 1 tai
Each pung of Red, Green or White is 1 tai: how it's counted, what two pungs score, and when it turns into Little or Big Three Dragons.
Half One Suit 4 tai
One suit plus honors — a 4-tai hand. Examples, Half One Suit vs Pure One Suit, and how concentrated your start must be.
Try it at the table
Taiwanese Mahjong — Play authentic Taiwanese 16-tile mahjong free in your browser against three computer opponents. Flowers, chow, pung, kong, dealer streaks and automatic tai scoring. No sign-up, works on phone and desktop.