麻将是中国的国粹，一般四个人玩，是一种锻炼智力和预防老年痴呆的桌游，而且有有儒家文化底蕴，比如麻将又叫麻雀，大家都知道的，孔子喜欢鸟。
Mahjong is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players. It is a game of skill, strategy and calculation and involves a certain degree of chance. In Asia, mahjong is also popularly played as a gambling game (though it may just as easily be played recreationally).
One of the myths of the origin of mahjong suggests that Confucius,the Chinese philosopher, developed the game in about 500 BC.The myth also claims that Confucius was fond of birds, which would explain the name "mahjong" (maque= sparrow).
麻将牌有序数牌，字牌和花牌。
Mahjong is played with a set of mahjong tiles, a dice and counters. Mahjong tiles are split into these categories: suits, honor, and flowers.
序数牌有三种，条，筒和万，上面标有1-9的图案。每种花色的相应值有四张牌。
There are three different simple suits numbered 1 to 9. They are bamboo, circles (or dots) and characters (or myriads). There are four matching tiles for each value (e.g. there are four Dots tiles with the number 2).
接下来是字牌，字牌有两种，四风（东西南北）和三元（中发板）。每种花色也有四张牌。
There are two different honour suits: the winds and the dragons. The winds are east, south, west and north, and the dragons are Red middle, Green prosperity and White board. They have no numerical sequence and there are four tiles of each honour (e.g. four Red Dragon tiles).
最后是花牌, 有八种，梅兰竹菊四花和春夏秋冬四季
There are eight bonus tiles: four flowers and four seasons. The flowers are plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo, and the seasons are spring, summer, autumn and winter.
该贴已经同步到 鑢_cosmos的微博
