Thirteen Orphans

proper noun

A hand consisting of one of each terminal and honor tile and a pair.

OriginChinese 十三幺 →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. board gamesA hand consisting of one of each terminal and honor tile and a pair.

    His friends thought that the Thirteen Orphans hand was the most perfect one, but he did not agree.

    2020, J.Y. Sam, “Chapter 23”, in The Ingenious, and the Colour of Life, →ISBN

Origin

  1. Chinese十三幺
  2. EnglishThirteen Orphans

Calque of Chinese 十三幺 (shísānyāo). "Orphan" is used figuratively in reference to the tiles not forming melds.

More words from Chinese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Thirteen Orphans. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Thirteen%20Orphans

MLA

“Thirteen Orphans.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Thirteen%20Orphans. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Thirteen Orphans,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Thirteen%20Orphans.

Source: Thirteen Orphans on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.