Can you pass your turn in xiangqi?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.
Direct answer
No. You must move, and if you have no legal move you have lost — there is no pass and no stalemate draw. This is one of the clearest differences from Korean janggi, which does allow a pass and therefore handles the same situations completely differently.
Zugzwang exists here too
Because you must move, positions where every move makes things worse are real and common in endgames. Unlike chess, the ultimate zugzwang — having nothing legal at all — is simply a loss.
That makes tempo moves valuable. A spare soldier move you can make when you need to do nothing is worth more than it looks.
Do not trap your own pieces
The practical corollary: in a simplified position, be careful about walling in your own last mobile piece. Reducing your own options can hand the game away without a single capture.
Related questions
Does janggi allow passing?
Yes, which is one of several reasons janggi endgames behave very differently despite the near-identical board.
What if I only have illegal moves available?
Then you have no legal move, and you lose.
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