Great Three Dragons (大三元) — 8 Faan

Great Three Dragons is worth 8 faan — pungs (or kongs) of all three dragon tiles: Red, Green and White.

What it is

Great Three Dragons is one of the most prestigious hands in Hong Kong Mahjong: all three dragons — Red (中), Green (發), White (白) — formed into pungs or kongs, plus one ordinary meld and a pair.

How to form it

Like Small Three Dragons, it starts with holding tiles of all three dragon types — but here all three must become pungs, and each dragon has only four copies. Once you’ve punged two dragon types, the whole table will be guarding the third, so the final pung often has to come from your own draws.

Example hand — 8 Faan

Common scoring mistake

The 8 faan already includes the three dragon pungs — don’t add another 3. Also know the liability (包牌) rule at many tables: if two dragon pungs are already exposed and you discard the third dragon type that completes the hand, you may be liable for the entire payout. That’s why opponents hold the last dragon to the death.

Combines with

Great Three Dragons plus Half Flush is 8 + 3 = 11 faan — effectively the cap at many tables. If the remaining meld is also a pung, All Pungs stacks on top too.

Half Flush — 3 Faan All Pungs — 3 Faan

Frequently asked questions

How many faan is Great Three Dragons?

Great Three Dragons is worth 8 faan in Hong Kong Mahjong: pungs or kongs of all three dragons. The 8 faan already includes the three dragon pungs.

What is the liability (包牌) rule for Great Three Dragons?

At many tables, a player who discards the third dragon type when two dragon pungs are already exposed becomes liable for the whole payout. Agree on this rule before playing.

What is the difference between Great and Small Three Dragons?

Great Three Dragons has pungs or kongs of all three dragons (8 faan). Small Three Dragons has two dragon pungs plus a pair of the third (5 faan).

See how this hand fits into the complete scoring table:

Full faan scoring chart Play now