Because the wagers were small, and the winnings enormous, the game soon became a "movement of the entire people," sweeping across Shanghai, Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan. It eventually evolved into a game which required the correct guessing of 20 characters out of the Thousand Character Classic.
由於賭本輕、贏賠重，花會在上海、廣東、福建、台灣等地均一時成為「全民運動」，也發展出以千字文猜二十字的賭法。