What is the difference between Red and Black 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
Two things only: Red moves first, and the two sides write six of the seven pieces with different characters. Nothing about movement, capture or legality differs. The characters are homophones chosen so you can tell the sides apart at a glance.
The character pairs
Red / Black: 帥/將 general, 仕/士 advisor, 相/象 elephant, 傌/馬 horse, 俥/車 chariot, 炮/砲 cannon, 兵/卒 soldier.
Note that the cannon pair is often reversed between sets and books — 炮 and 砲 are both in use for both sides. It never affects play.
What Red's first move is worth
Real but modest: master databases put Red around 53–56%. The practical value is the right to set the agenda by playing a Central Cannon on move one, which forces Black to answer rather than choose.
Below expert level the effect is invisible next to the effect of one missed tactic.
Related questions
Is Black at a disadvantage?
Slightly, at high level. Black's job is to equalise, and several defences do that reliably.
Why is one side sometimes green or blue?
Manufacturing preference. The side that moves first is the red one regardless of what colour the other side is printed in.
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