Working outcomeA folklore note labeled by source, community, period, and confidence.
Ask who believes what
“Mahjong superstition” is too broad to be a single answer. Beliefs can be personal, familial, regional, commercial, humorous, or religious.
Label the account
Distinguish documented practice, participant account, family memory, circulating folklore, and new playful invention.
- Record who supplied the claim.
- Preserve exact wording.
- Do not convert one account into a Chinese universal.
Study why the story travels
A belief may organize uncertainty, create identity, entertain, sell products, or explain an outcome. Function is part of the folklore record.
Keep the boundary visible
Generic identification belongs to MahjongCharm; playful witch content belongs to WitchesOfMahjong; unsupported “ancient wisdom” belongs nowhere.