Recently, controversy broke out in the United States after The Mahjong Line, a Dallas-based company started by three white women, launched with game sets that eschewed the traditional Chinese tiles for images such as bags of flour, bubbles, and kites.
The cheeky line. Photo via The Mahjong Line.The botanical line. Photo via The Mahjong Line.作爲設計這款新式麻將的創始人之一凱特·拉格爾（Kate LaGere）自稱在與朋友打麻將時發現麻將牌都“長得很像”，“沒有趣味性”。她想要一套獨特的，能讓她“自豪”地帶去和朋友一起玩的麻將。自己設計着玩當然可以，但你拿出來賣......
Marketing copy on the company’s website noted that the “artwork of the traditional tiles, while beautiful, was all the same” and that the “venerable game needed a respectful refresh,” leading to a swift backlash and accusations of culturalappropriation.
As many people pointed out, the Mahjong Line didn’t just rebrand the Chinese history behind the game: it wiped it out altogether to be repackaged as something more suitable for the white gaze.
The beauty of mahjong is that it’s a game meant to be shared, which this community does happily and often. But what the Mahjong Line did wasn’t a loving embrace of an already-beloved game — it was a complete obliteration of the rich history behind the four-player pastime.
“Our mission is to combine our passion for art and color alongside the fun of the game while seeking to appeal to novices and experienced players alike. American mahjong tiles have evolved for many decades and we’d like to be part of this evolution in the most respectful and authentic way possible.”
“While our intent is to inspire and engage with a new generation of American mahjong players, we recognize our failure to pay proper homage to the game’s Chinese heritage. Using words like ‘refresh’ were hurtful to many and we are deeply sorry.”
這樣的道歉，反正英大是真的看不到一絲誠意。馬上，該公司關閉了在Instagram上的評論。大家都知道麻將起源於中國，但不是所有人都知道麻將牌面圖案的寓意，這不是誰想改就能改的！麻將牌中的每一張牌都暗含了中國傳統文化的訴求。以“花牌”爲例，人們通常採用梅、蘭、竹、菊爲圖案。 梅、蘭、竹、菊佔盡春、夏、秋、冬，被稱爲“四君子”，是中國人感物喻志的象徵。而“中、發、白”3張牌則寓意着“中正”、“發達”、“純潔”之意。近年來，麻將在國外越來越火，2017年4月，國際智力運動聯盟（International Mind Sports Association：IMSA）宣佈，麻將正式成爲世界智力運動項目。撒貝寧還曾在節目中調侃：過年一家人打麻將，結果最後變成四個老外津津有味地學打麻將：不少國家還出現了專門教人打麻將的老師，收費還不低，很多網友看到了稱：我也想去國外教他們打麻將。不會打麻將的英大感覺失去了一個億......
那麼，以後我們該如何向老外介紹麻將呢？下面這些地道表達，趕緊和英大一起學起來吧~
01“麻將”用英文怎麼說?打麻將：play mahjong牌：tile條：bamboo /ˌbæmˈbuː/(長的像竹子)或者是sticks/stiks/（棍、杆）餅或者叫筒：dots /dɑːts/ 也有叫circles的(都是大圓點)萬：characters /ˈkærɪktərz/東/南/西/北風：east / south / west / north wind紅中：red dragon (red centre)發財：green dragon (make a fortune)白板：white dragon ( white board/slate )
02“麻將”中各個操作用英文怎麼說？洗牌：shuffle tiles (or cards)出牌：play a tile摸牌：draw a tile胡了：I’ve won!吃：take a tile to complete a straight碰：take a tile to complete a set of three槓：take a tile to complete a set of four
最後送上小彩蛋
Learn how to play mahjong in 2.5 minutes如何在2.5分鐘內學會打麻將？
