Do I need a clock to play a casual game of xiangqi with a friend?
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, not at all. A clock exists to keep games fair and finishing on schedule in competition, not to make the game work. Two people playing casually can simply take turns at whatever pace feels comfortable, with no timer running in the background.
When a clock actually starts to matter
Once you play in a rated setting, whether online or at a club or tournament, a clock becomes necessary so that neither side can simply think forever on a single move. Outside that context it is a convenience at most, useful if one player tends to think for a very long time and the other wants to keep the game moving.
If you do want some structure without a strict clock
A soft agreement, such as "let's aim to finish this in about half an hour," does the job for most casual games without needing any equipment. Save an actual clock for when you want practice under real time pressure, which is a skill worth building once you are past the very first stage of learning.
Related questions
What time controls do rated games use if I want to try one later?
See what time controls are used in xiangqi for the common formats.
Is playing without a clock a bad habit?
Not for a beginner. Learning the pieces and basic ideas matters far more early on than time management does.
.