---
title: "How to Read Xiangqi Endgame Titles Like 車兵對車 · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Stronger side first, then 對 (versus), then the defender, with 勝 or 和 for the verdict. How to decode the titles in any endgame book."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-to-read-xiangqi-endgame-names
updated: 2026-09-29
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# How do you read xiangqi endgame names like 車兵對車士象全?

These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws for movement, checkmate and both repetition rulings: a side that forces a repetition by perpetual check or perpetual chase loses rather than drawing. The chase half has not been validated against the official casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it before publishing.

> Direct answer
>
> Endgame titles list the **stronger side's pieces first**, then **對** ("versus"), then the **defender's pieces**; the generals are taken for granted. So 車兵對車士象全 is chariot and soldier against chariot with a full defence. The defence terms are compact: **士象全** means both advisors and both elephants, **單缺士** means one advisor missing, **單缺象** means one elephant missing.

## The piece words

- **車** chariot, **馬** horse, **炮** cannon, **兵** or **卒** soldier.
- **士** advisor, **象** or **相** elephant.
- **雙** means two, as in 雙車 (two chariots) or 雙士 (two advisors); **單** means one, as in 單車 (a lone chariot).

The red and black versions of the same piece use different characters on the board, but endgame titles often just use one form. See [the Chinese names of the pieces](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-are-the-chinese-names-of-the-pieces).

## The defence words

- **士象全**: full defence, two advisors and two elephants.
- **單缺士**: one advisor gone, both elephants left.
- **單缺象**: one elephant gone, both advisors left.
- **雙士** or **雙象**: only that pair left.

## Reading the verdict

Book titles often add the expected result: **勝** for a win, **和** for a draw. A title of the form "A 勝 B" therefore reads "A beats B", and "A 和 B" reads "A draws against B", each as a claim about correct play. Treat these as the book's evaluation of the standard position; a slightly different arrangement can change the outcome, and the exact defensive setup matters. The [advisors and elephants](https://xiangqimaster.com/endgames/advisors-and-elephants) page explains why the defence's make-up changes so much.

## Related questions

Why are the generals not mentioned?

Both sides always have one, so the title only lists what differs.

Is 殘局 the word for endgame?

Yes. 殘局, "remnant game", is the ordinary word for an endgame.

## Related xiangqi resources

Advisors and elephants

The defence that decides most endgames

Xiangqi endgames

What beats what, and why

Xiangqi glossary

Every term, with the Chinese and the WXF spelling

## Try it on a real board

Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.