Traditional Eastern Face Reading: The Method of the Five Eyes

Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism

In traditional Eastern face reading, the method of “the Five Eyes” is an important system for judging how well the proportions of the face are coordinated. Its core idea is that whether the “Five Eyes” are harmonious is linked to wealth, relationships, wisdom, and fortune. The main method is to observe how the “Five Eyes” are distributed across the width of the face and so assess key qualities such as a person's “treasury of wealth,” “popularity,” “blessings,” and “luck.”

An earlier article introduced the basic concept of “the Five Eyes”: taking the length of the eye as the standard across the face, the width of the face is divided evenly into five equal parts, each roughly equal to the length of one eye, with an error of no more than 0.5 centimeters.

As the name suggests, the “Five Eyes” are numbered from one to five, and the logic of their order and division is as follows. The First Eye, also called the “Left Travel Horse,” is the distance from the outer side of the left eye to the left temple. The Second Eye, also called the “Left Wisdom Eye,” is the length of the left eye itself. The Third Eye, also called the “Yintang” (the spot between the eyebrows), is the distance between the left eye and the right eye. The Fourth Eye, also called the “Right Wisdom Eye,” is the length of the right eye itself. The Fifth Eye, also called the “Right Travel Horse,” is the distance from the outer side of the right eye to the right temple.

Once the specific divisions of the “Five Eyes” are understood, they can be analyzed in three groups: the Third Eye; the First and Fifth Eyes; and the Second and Fourth Eyes. Now let us look at the formal requirements and the meaning for fortune of each eye.

1. The Third Eye (the Yintang)

The Third Eye (the Yintang) governs the core treasury of wealth and the breadth of one's mind. The formal requirement is that the distance between the eyes equal the length of a single eye. Note that the length of a single eye can only be taken from the person whose face is being read; the eye lengths of different people are not comparable with one's own. The forehead should be smooth, without stray lines, and the Yintang broad (slightly more than the length of a single eye) and bright, without horizontal lines, hollows, or a bluish-black complexion.

As for its meaning for fortune, in terms of wealth, a person with a broad Yintang is strong in both regular and windfall wealth, readily gains unexpected money (by no means ill-gotten gains, but money from lawful sources such as extra returns on investments or gifts from benefactors), and is able to hold on to wealth.

A person with a narrow Yintang—less than two-thirds the length of a single eye—is prone to fluctuations in wealth through narrow-mindedness, bad decisions, and the like, and may even see money come and go until nothing is left.

In terms of relationships, a person with a broad Yintang is broad-minded and sincere with others, readily wins the trust of friends and partners, and has harmonious relationships.

A person with a narrow Yintang easily offends others through suspicion and impatience and becomes isolated.

In terms of health, a person with a dull Yintang (grayish skin lacking luster, or even with a bluish-black tinge) should guard against cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and nervous-system diseases.

A person with horizontal lines on the Yintang is foretold to face career and health crises in middle age and must guard against the danger of losing money.

2. The First Eye and the Fifth Eye

The First Eye and the Fifth Eye (the distance from the outer sides of the left and right eyes to the left and right temples) govern help from benefactors and the retention of wealth. The formal requirement is that the distance from the outer side of each eye to the temple equal the length of the eye; the temples should be full and fleshy, with the “three withouts” (without hollows, without wrinkles, without a bluish-black complexion); and the skin at the outer side of the eyes should be firm, without spots or wrinkles.

As for their meaning for fortune, in terms of help from benefactors, a person with full temples enjoys strong help from benefactors, readily receives support from elders and partners, and rises quickly in their career.

A person with sunken temples has weak help from benefactors, easily hits bottlenecks in their career, and must break through by their own efforts.

In terms of retaining wealth, a person with full temples may have a strong ability to retain wealth, and the wealth accumulated in the first half of life is not easily lost.

A person with sunken temples has insubstantial finances and easily loses money through impulsive spending or investment mistakes.

In terms of marriage, a person with firm, full skin at the outer side of the eyes generally has a happy marriage, a spouse who brings financial support, and a harmonious family.

A person with hollows at the outer side of the eyes easily lets romantic disputes affect their finances and may even face a marital crisis.

3. The Second Eye and the Fourth Eye

The Second Eye and the Fourth Eye (the left and right eyes themselves) govern wisdom and the ability to carry things out. The formal requirement is that the eyes have clear whites and dark pupils and a clear gaze; that the eye shape, whether round or long and narrow, be in harmony with the face shape; that there be no bloodshot veins, no drooping, and no squint; and that the outer corners turn slightly upward (by fifteen to thirty degrees)—the so-called “upturned-moon eyes”—or lie level—the so-called “phoenix eyes”—without defects such as “cross-eyes” (a squint in which the eyeballs turn inward) or “hanging-tip eyes” (outer corners turned up by more than forty-five degrees).

As for their meaning for fortune, in terms of wisdom, a person with bright eyes is generally exceptionally wise, learns well, and readily makes breakthroughs in study and career.

A person with a muddy gaze is foretold to lack decision-making ability, easily misses opportunities through errors of judgment, and may even fall into the trap of aiming high while achieving little.

In terms of carrying things out, a person with round eyes has a gentle character and steady execution, suited to teamwork.

A person with long, narrow eyes has a decisive character and strong execution, suited to starting businesses and to management. A person whose outer eye corners droop is foretold to have a sensitive character and, being emotional, tends to deal with people and affairs in a way that “starts like a tiger and ends like a snake,” which affects their fortune.

In terms of health, a person with dark circles around the eyes should guard against deficient liver blood and long-term effects on sleep.

A person with reddish whites of the eyes should guard against excessive liver fire that brings emotional anxiety.

4. Reading the “Five Eyes” as a Whole

A special point should be made here. The Five Eyes method of face reading holds that there is a standard “pattern of wealth and rank” for the Five Eyes, the so-called standard of complete Five Eyes: the horizontal proportions of the face fully match the Five Eyes division, with each of the five areas equal in length to a single eye, and the overall outline of the face symmetrical and harmonious, without obvious imbalances of width.

Specifically, it looks like this: the distance between the two eyes equals the length of a single eye, neither so wide as to seem distant nor so narrow as to seem cramped; the transition from the eye area to the sides of the ears is natural, without abrupt changes in width; and the face as a whole shows the balance of the Five Eyes, in harmony with the vertical proportions of the Three Sections, together forming a “standard face.” This is a face of great wealth and high rank.

Of course, where there is a face of great wealth and rank with complete Five Eyes, there are also “special faces” in which the Five Eyes are out of proportion or flawed in form. In such cases, one must note that they may correspond to warnings about particular kinds of fortune, as follows:

A Yintang that is too narrow foretells that, because of narrow-mindedness, one will very easily lose a lot for the sake of a little, causing large swings in finances and a tendency to face career crises in middle age. The remedy is to attach great importance in daily life to cultivating one's character and nurturing one's nature, consciously developing tolerance and avoiding impulsive decisions.

Sunken temples foretell that, because help from benefactors is weak, one may find it hard to retain wealth, easily offend petty, scheming people, and may hit bottlenecks in one's career. The remedy is to make more friends of the good-teacher and helpful-friend type, and to be especially cautious in investing, avoiding the lure of high returns as far as possible.

Drooping outer eye corners foretell that, because of a sensitive character, one tends to deal with people and affairs emotionally, which seriously affects relationships and may even lead to loneliness in old age and large swings in fortune. The remedy is to cultivate rational thinking in daily work and life, manage one's emotions well, and avoid acting on feelings.

Skewed “Five Eyes”—that is, unbalanced proportions of the Five Eyes, such as eyes set too wide or too close, uneven spacing among the Five Eyes, eyes of different sizes, or eyes set at a slant—foretell a life prone to setbacks, with large ups and downs in career and finances; one must also guard particularly against thin ties with the six kin and ending up in the awkward position of being all alone. The remedy is to strive for a calm state of mind, strengthen personal cultivation, and do everything possible to avoid extreme behavior.

5. Reading the “Five Eyes” Together with the “Three Sections”

The Five Eyes method of face reading must pay attention to the close interplay between the Five Eyes, the Three Sections, and the Five Peaks. The core concern is the “holistic view” that face reading values so highly: the Five Eyes must be judged together with the Three Sections (upper, middle, and lower) and the Five Peaks (the forehead, the nose bridge, the left and right cheekbones, and the chin) before fortune can be assessed with relative accuracy. Specifically:

The Five Eyes linked with the Three Sections: if the Five Eyes are balanced but the Upper Section (the forehead) is too narrow, it foretells ordinary family circumstances in early life (generally before age fifteen), and one must rely on a breakthrough in one's career in middle age (the Middle Section, which foretells fortune in middle age, generally from thirty to fifty). If the Five Eyes are balanced but the Lower Section (the chin) is sunken, it foretells difficulty retaining wealth in old age (generally after sixty).

The Five Eyes linked with the Five Peaks: if the Five Eyes are balanced but the Central Peak (the nose) is low and collapsed, it foretells insufficient career ambition in middle age and a tendency to miss opportunities. If the Five Eyes are balanced but the Eastern Peak (the left cheekbone) and the Western Peak (the right cheekbone) are asymmetrical, it foretells unbalanced relationships and a tendency toward disputes over interests that affect one's career.

6. Reading the “Five Eyes” Together with Face Shape

In face reading, the link between different face shapes and the features of the Five Eyes is also an important point to watch in the Five Eyes method. Different face shapes affect the proportions of the Five Eyes to a greater or lesser degree, producing different Five Eyes features and thus affecting fortune. The links between face shapes and Five Eyes features, and their meanings, are as follows:

1. Five Eyes features of a long face (a length-to-width ratio greater than 1.5): because the face is stretched vertically, this vertically elongated structure directly squeezes the horizontal space of the face and throws the proportions of the Five Eyes out of balance. Commonly, the distance between the eyes (the Third Eye), as the core horizontal segment of the Middle Section, is the most likely to look too wide because of vertical stretching (that is, wider than the length of a single eye). By the same token, the distance between each eye and its temple (the First and Fifth Eyes) may become too narrow (less than the length of a single eye). As for the character and fortune of people with such imbalances, when the Third Eye is too wide, it foretells a gentle character that does not think things through, lacks decisiveness in affairs, and is easily swayed by others.

When the First and Fifth Eyes are too narrow, it foretells limited fortune in early life; one must break free of the constraints of one's circumstances through one's own efforts, and fortune will gradually settle only after middle age.

2. Five Eyes features of a round face (a length-to-width ratio of about 1, with a rounded outline): because the length-to-width ratio is about 1 and the outline is rounded, the horizontal distances of the Five Eyes are “concentrated and compressed” in the Third Eye, which looks too narrow, while the First and Fifth Eyes on either side look visually wider because of the curve of the round cheeks. As for the character and fortune of people with such imbalances, when the Third Eye is on the narrow side, it foretells an outgoing character with strong social skills, but a tendency to be impulsive and impatient in affairs, with large swings in finances.

When the First and Fifth Eyes are too wide, it foretells steady fortune in old age and blessings from one's children within the family.

3. Five Eyes features of a square face (a square facial outline with a broad jaw): because the width of the jaw in a square face is increased, the overall horizontal space of the face is “spread out,” but the actual width of the eye sockets (determined by the structure of the skull) does not increase with it. As a result, the length of a single eye seems to take up a larger share of the total width of the face, giving the visual effect of “long eyes” (a single eye longer than one-fifth of the face), so that the segments of the Five Eyes look visually uncoordinated. People whose proportions are unbalanced because of long eyes in fact have good basic fortune: it foretells a firm will and strong execution, suited to management and technical work, with ready breakthroughs in their careers. If the proportions of the Five Eyes are also relatively balanced, people with square faces have stable finances, readily accumulate wealth after middle age, and enjoy deep blessings in old age.

4. Five Eyes features of a diamond-shaped face (prominent cheekbones, a narrow forehead and jaw): because the diamond-shaped face has prominent cheekbones and a narrow forehead and jaw, the Third Eye, as the core horizontal segment of the Middle Section, is “expanded horizontally” along with the whole Middle Section by the jutting cheekbones and looks visually too wide (clearly more than the length of a single eye), while the First and Fifth Eyes are too narrow (clearly less than the length of a single eye). As for the character and fortune of people with such imbalances, when the Third Eye is too wide, it foretells a sensitive mind that overthinks and easily falls into self-doubt, and one must guard especially against many setbacks in one's career after middle age.

When the First and Fifth Eyes are too narrow, it foretells weak help from benefactors in early life; one must build a network of connections through one's own abilities, and fortune in old age may improve as one's career stabilizes.

5. Five Eyes features of a heart-shaped face (a wide forehead and a pointed jaw): because the forehead of a heart-shaped face is relatively wide, the First and Fifth Eyes become too wide (clearly more than the length of a single eye), while the Third Eye looks relatively narrow. As for the character and fortune of people with such imbalances, when the First and Fifth Eyes are too wide, it foretells flourishing fortune in early life, with ready promotion by benefactors in study and career, but after middle age one's energy may flag, which affects one's fortune.

When the Third Eye is on the narrow side, it foretells a relatively forceful character with a strong will to win and a tendency to hurt one's finances through impulsive decisions; one should take care to keep one's mind balanced.

In essence, the Five Eyes method of face reading, like face reading itself, belongs to the realm of traditional culture. It must be judged comprehensively, without “seeing the trees but not the forest” or mistaking a part for the whole; only then can it offer people correct guidance and advice.