tenpai with all winning tiles visible on the table
In mahjong, a tenpai hand where every tile that would complete the hand is already visible among discards or melds, making it impossible to win. Also called 空聴牌.
See also: テンパイ
I ended up in karaten, so I can't win anymore.
He declared riichi without realizing he was in karaten.
Most common spelling for this mahjong term.
Alternate kanji spelling; less common than 空テン.
From 空 (kara, 'empty') + テン (ten, from 聴牌 'tenpai'). The term describes a tenpai hand that is effectively empty of winning possibilities.