riichi; declaring ready hand in mahjong
In mahjong, the call made when a player's hand is fully concealed and one tile away from winning. The term is also used as a loanword in English mahjong circles.
from Chinese lìzhí
He declared riichi with a strong hand.
He declared riichi on the 9th turn.
one step away from victory; on the verge of success
Figurative use derived from mahjong, meaning being very close to achieving a goal. Common in casual conversation.
We're just one step away from the championship; we're practically in riichi.
Our team is one win away from the championship.
Since the player across from me declared riichi, I can't discard any dangerous tiles.
In mahjong, riichi is naturally counted as an occurrence or declaration.
Standard katakana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
Kanji form used in mahjong contexts; rarely seen outside the game.
From Chinese 立直 (lìzhí), adopted into Japanese mahjong terminology. The figurative sense is a Japanese extension.