In xiangqi each side has sixteen pieces of seven kinds. Red and Black move in exactly the same way, but several pieces are written with different characters, so you can tell the sides apart at a glance:
| Piece | Red | Black | Simplified | How it moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 帥 | 將 | 帅／将 | Moves one point up, down or sideways and must stay inside the palace. The two generals may not face each other on an open file. |
| Advisor | 仕 | 士 | — | Moves one point diagonally and must stay inside the palace. |
| Elephant | 相 | 象 | — | Moves exactly two points diagonally and cannot cross the river. Blocked if the point in between is occupied. |
| Horse | 傌 | 馬 | 马 | Moves one point straight, then one point diagonally outward. Blocked if the point next to it in that direction is occupied. |
| Chariot | 俥 | 車 | 车 | Moves any distance up, down or sideways, like a rook in chess. |
| Cannon | 炮 | 砲 | 炮 | Moves like a chariot, but captures only by jumping over exactly one piece. |
| Soldier | 兵 | 卒 | — | Moves one point forward. After crossing the river it may also move sideways. It never moves backward. |
Pieces stand on the intersections of the lines, not inside the squares. The band across the middle with no vertical lines is the "river", and the 3×3 boxes with diagonal lines at each end are the "palaces"; the general and the advisors must stay inside them.
Below is a card for each piece. Each page has move diagrams, common mistakes, the piece's value and how it is used in real games. Every legal point shown in the diagrams is calculated by this site's rules engine, exactly the same as the points that light up when you select a piece in online xiangqi. The boards keep the traditional Chinese characters, which is how every real set looks.
俥車
Chariot
Any distance in a straight line, never through pieces; the strongest piece on the board.
傌馬
Horse
One step straight, one step diagonal; can be hobbled; up to eight moves in the open, stronger near the centre.
炮砲
Cannon
Moves like a chariot, captures only over exactly one piece (the screen); the most aggressive piece in the opening.
兵卒
Soldier
One point at a time; forward only until it crosses the river, then sideways too; never backwards.
相象
Elephant
Two points diagonally (the 田 move), blocked if the middle point is occupied, never across the river; only seven points to stand on.
仕士
Advisor
One point diagonally inside the palace, only five points to stand on; the general's closest bodyguard.
帥將
General
One point straight inside the palace, never facing the other general; checkmate or no legal move means you lose.
Which piece should I learn first?
If you're new, try this order: chariot → horse → cannon → soldier → elephant → advisor → general. The chariot is the most intuitive — it moves in straight lines as far as it likes. The horse and the cannon each have one special rule (hobbling, and capturing over a screen). The elephant, advisor and general have the smallest areas but the most rules. Once you know all seven, head back to the xiangqi home page and start a game.