noun
value honor tiles
In mahjong, refers to tiles that give a scoring bonus (yaku) based on the round wind, seat wind, or dragons. These are distinct from terminal honor tiles.
from Chinese fān pái
翻牌を鳴いて役を確定させる。
Call a value honor tile to secure a yaku.
東場では東が翻牌になる。
In the east round, the east wind tile becomes a value honor.
三元牌 are the dragon tiles (白, 發, 中), which are always value honors when used as a set.
From Chinese 翻牌 (fān pái), literally 'flip tile' or 'value tile'. The term is used in Japanese mahjong to denote tiles that grant a scoring bonus.