Hong Kong Mahjong · Limit
Earthly Hand (地糊) in Hong Kong Mahjong: Fan, Rules and Real Odds
In Hong Kong mahjong, the Earthly Hand (地糊) is a limit hand, scored at Limit: a non-dealer (any of the three players who aren't dealer) is ready with their 13 opening tiles and self-draws the winning tile on their very first draw — with nobody having chowed, punged or konged before it.
Limit hands score the limit straight away (10 fan on this site) without counting anything else.
On this page
The rules for the Earthly Hand
- Only a non-dealer can have it; a dealer who starts complete has the Heavenly Hand
- It must be a self-draw on your very first draw
- Before your draw, nobody may have chowed, punged or konged (concealed and added kongs included); once anyone has, the first round no longer counts
- If your first draw is a flower, winning on its replacement still counts as the Earthly Hand
- Winning on the dealer's first discard is the Human Hand, not the Earthly Hand
Tables define it differently: some call "winning on the dealer's first discard" the Earthly Hand, and some don't have it at all. This site uses the definition above — agree before you start.
How the Earthly Hand is scored
The fan below are computed live by the same scoring code the game uses.
Self-drawn · East round · Seat wind: South
| Earthly hand (地糊) | Limit |
| Total | 10 fan · Limit |
|---|
Anything over 10 fan scores 10 (the limit).
It's paid as a self-draw: each of the other three pays one share at the limit.
Heavenly, Earthly and Human hands
| Limit hand | Who | When | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavenly Hand | Dealer | Opening, before discarding | Self-draw |
| Earthly Hand | Non-dealer | First draw, no claims before | Self-draw |
| Human Hand | Non-dealer | Dealer's first discard | Win on discard |
How it relates to other hands
- Self-drawn: the Earthly Hand is a self-draw, but a limit hand adds no Self-drawn fan.
- Heavenly Hand: the dealer's version — 14 opening tiles already complete.
- Human Hand: also a non-dealer's first round, but winning on the dealer's first discard.
Earthly Hand odds
We let four of this site's computers (Normal level) play 400,000 hands, each one only through the first round: the Earthly Hand came up 4 times — about 0.001% per hand, or roughly once every 100,000 hands (so few cases that this is only a rough figure).
You need to start ready and then draw the right tile at once — nothing you can plan; any of the three non-dealers can get it, and the per-hand rate above covers all three. To look at some opening hands, open a table of online Hong Kong mahjong.
The Earthly Hand in other mahjong styles
- Sichuan mahjong: the Earthly Hand scores the cap directly (Sichuan mahjong Earthly Hand)
- Taiwanese and Japanese mahjong also have an earthly hand, with different definitions and scoring: see the Taiwanese mahjong tai list and the Japanese mahjong yaku list
- Chinese Official (Guobiao): see the Guobiao fan list
FAQ
How many fan is the Earthly Hand?
It's a limit hand: Limit straight away (10 fan on this site), with no other fan added.
Does it count if someone punged before my first draw?
No. If anyone chowed, punged or konged before your first draw, there's no Earthly Hand — just your hand's normal fan.
Is winning on the dealer's first discard an Earthly Hand?
Not on this site — that's the Human Hand. Some tables call it the Earthly Hand; agree before you start.
Related hands
Heavenly Hand Limit
Human Hand Limit
Try it at the table
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