An Overview of Traditional Eastern Face Reading

Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism

Traditional Eastern face reading is a specialized system of physiognomy that is traditional, symbolic, and empirical, carries cultural value, and is used to foresee a person's fortune and misfortune, blessings and calamities, wealth and rank, or poverty and lowliness.

It is traditional in that face reading is rooted in the application of ancient Chinese philosophical ideas such as “the unity of heaven and humanity” and “yin and yang and the Five Phases.” It gradually became the core vehicle of the traditional Chinese culture of “knowing people and discussing fate,” and it has been handed down for more than two thousand years.

1. The Development of Traditional Eastern Face Reading

Traditional Eastern face reading can roughly be divided into three periods: its budding, its development, and its spread among the common people.

1. The budding period runs from high antiquity to the Zhou dynasty. The earliest form of face reading arose from the selection of talent and from everyday observation; this was mainly a stage of accumulating experience. The main practitioners were probably the ancient sage-kings, and its main use was to select capable people. The Record of Rites of the Elder Dai (Da Dai Liji)—an important ancient Chinese classic on ritual, which together with the Record of Rites of the Younger Dai, that is, the standard Book of Rites, is known as the “Rites of the Elder and Younger Dai”—records: “Yao chose people by their appearance, Shun chose people by their complexion, Yu chose people by their speech, Tang chose people by their voice, and King Wen chose people by their bearing.” This shows that the ancient sage-kings had already begun to judge people's abilities by their looks, complexion, and demeanor, and that this may already have been a shared understanding. By the Spring and Autumn period, face reading, as one of the arts of physiognomy, had begun to spread among the upper classes. When aristocrats chose their heirs, they already treated a person's face as an important basis for the choice. The Zuo Commentary (Zuo Zhuan)—a classic of ancient China valued both as history and as literature—repeatedly records “reading faces to determine good and ill fortune,” which suggests that a system of physiognomy had already begun to take shape.

To explain the origins of face reading, let us look more closely at the matter of “Yao choosing people by their appearance” and its influence on later ages. Yao choosing people by their appearance really means selecting talent according to outward features. When Yao abdicated the throne to Shun, he examined Shun's “appearance”; he may have paid attention to Shun's upright posture (a sign of responsibility), his resolute gaze (a sign of decisiveness), and his healthy complexion (a sign that he could cope with hard conditions), and in this way judged whether he could bear the heavy duty of leading the tribal alliance. In fact, Yao tested Shun's “virtue and ability” through three levels of trial—family, production, and government. This is clearly recorded in the “Basic Annals of the Five Emperors” in the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji): “Yao then gave Shun his two daughters as wives, to observe his virtue; Shun served the two women and was in harmony with his household. When Yao heard of this, he said: ‘Worthy of respect indeed!’” This passage tells how Yao married his two daughters, Ehuang and Nüying, to Shun—using marriage to test virtue. By observing how Shun handled family relationships, especially how he got along with his wives, Yao verified core virtues such as “filial piety and brotherly respect, tolerance, and responsibility.” Shun's conduct was “in harmony with his household”: he was dutiful to his parents and treated his wives well, living “in happy harmony” with the two women. Seeing this, Yao praised him with “Worthy of respect indeed!”—meaning “How admirable!” This marked Shun's passing of the “family test,” and he won Yao's trust.

2. The period of development runs from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods to the Han dynasty. This period was mainly one of building a theoretical system. In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods there were already clear records of face reading, and reading faces was combined with predicting fate; it began to become a cultural phenomenon widely accepted by society. From the Han dynasty onward, face reading began to absorb ancient philosophy such as yin and yang, the Five Phases, and the Eight Trigrams (bagua), and it acquired core theoretical frameworks such as “the Three Sections and Five Eyes,” “the Twelve Palaces,” and “the Five Features determining fate,” forming a full body of theory. Later came classic works such as Mayi Physiognomy (Mayi Xiangshu, compiled in the Song and Yuan dynasties) and Liuzhuang Physiognomy (Liuzhuang Xiangfa, compiled in the late Ming and early Qing). Mayi Physiognomy takes “the unity of heaven and humanity” and “the face is born of the heart” as its core ideas and systematically builds the theory of face reading. It covers basic frameworks such as “the Three Sections and Five Eyes,” “reading the bones and reading the flesh,” and “complexion and annual luck,” and it also combines these with fate calculation and feng shui into a complete logic in which “face and fate are one.” Liuzhuang Physiognomy focuses more on practical technique. Built around “observing the bones, examining the flesh, discerning the qi, and judging fortune,” it sets out detailed standards for reading each part of the face and includes many case analyses, making it the “operating manual” of face-reading practice. The appearance of these two classics marked the point at which face reading became a fairly specialized “dedicated field of learning.”

3. The spread among the common people shows that face reading came to be widely used in towns and villages. In the process of gradually becoming a “dedicated field of learning,” it followed three main paths, which made it a body of knowledge recognized and widely practiced among ordinary people in ancient times. The first path came from summing up experience. Through long observation, the ancients began to identify links between a person's looks, character, and abilities. The simplest insights, such as “someone with long arms and long legs can carry heavy loads and is good at supporting a family” and “a woman with slender fingers is no farm wife,” are high-probability facts sifted from real life. The second path came from the shamans and healers of antiquity. There has long been a saying that “shamanism and medicine share the same source,” which holds that the complexion and form of the face are directly related to physical health and mental state. For example, the often-heard saying that “the Yintang is darkened” refers both to low fortune and to a sign of lung disease in Chinese medicine. Seen in this light, face reading resembles an extension of “diagnosis by observation” in Chinese medicine. The third path came from the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, known together as the stems and branches. The Heavenly Stems are ten symbols, from Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding through to Gui; the Earthly Branches are twelve symbols, from Zi, Chou, Yin, and Mao through to Hai. When these symbols are numbered in order from one to twelve, the odd numbers are yang and the even numbers are yin. This gives the stems and branches their yin or yang nature, which is then bound to the Five Phases—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—to form Yang Wood and Yin Wood, Yang Fire and Yin Fire, Yang Earth and Yin Earth, Yang Metal and Yin Metal, and Yang Water and Yin Water. These are the theoretical foundations of traditional disciplines such as Chinese medicine, feng shui, and fate calculation. Combined with ancient Chinese astronomy and the idea of “the unity of heaven and humanity,” they link areas of the face to the laws that govern the movements of heaven and earth (for example, “the Twelve Palaces” correspond to the twelve months of the year and to twelve stages of life), giving face reading its philosophical grounds for “predicting fate.”

2. The “Three Sections and Five Eyes”

It is symbolic in that face reading breaks the human face down into symbolic models such as “the Three Sections and Five Eyes,” “the Twelve Palaces,” and “the Five Features determining fate.”

The so-called “Three Sections and Five Eyes” is a “pattern model” of the overall proportions of the face.

1. The “Three Sections”

“The Three Sections” (santing) divide the face vertically according to “fortune in the stages of life.” The face is divided from the hairline to the chin into three equal parts—upper, middle, and lower—which correspond to fortune in different stages of life.

(1) The Upper Section runs from the hairline to the point between the eyebrows and represents youthful fortune before the age of fifteen. It governs inborn intelligence, family circumstances, early opportunities, and the like. Its main features and meanings: a full, broad forehead means one is naturally clever and has strong family support; a low, narrow forehead means early hardships and the need to be self-reliant.

(2) The Middle Section runs from the point between the eyebrows to the base of the nose and represents middle-age fortune from sixteen to fifty. It governs career achievement, social ability, striving in middle age, and the like. Its main features and meanings: lines between the eyebrows mean one easily meets with quarrels and gossip and must guard against disputes with others; a straight, high nose bridge means a smooth career and a firm will.

(3) The Lower Section runs from the base of the nose to the chin and represents fortune in old age after fifty-one. It governs blessings in later life, health, the bond with children and grandchildren, and the like. Its main features and meanings: a round, full chin means a peaceful old age and filial descendants; a pointed, narrow chin means a restless old age and the need to guard against health risks.

2. The “Five Eyes”

“The Five Eyes” take “the length of one eye” (from its inner corner to its outer corner) as a unit and divide the width of the face (from the left temple to the right temple) horizontally into five equal parts, showing the “harmony” of the face's proportions. Specifically: from the outer side of the left eye (the outer corner) to the left temple is one unit; the left eye itself (inner corner to outer corner) is one unit; the gap between the eyes (from the inner corner of the left eye to the inner corner of the right eye) is one unit; the right eye itself (inner corner to outer corner) is one unit; and from the outer side of the right eye (the outer corner) to the right temple is one unit. Its features and meanings: when the proportions of the Five Eyes are balanced, the face is well coordinated and the bearing upright; when the proportions are off—for example, eyes set too wide apart mean a lax character, and eyes set too close together mean an impatient character—this is a loss of “harmony.”

“The Three Sections and Five Eyes” are the “basic framework” of face reading. They stress that overall harmony matters more than individual features. A face with unbalanced proportions is considered to have an “unstable pattern” that can hardly bear “great fortune.”

3. The “Twelve Palaces”

“The Twelve Palaces” divide the face into twelve areas (palaces), each corresponding to a particular “dimension of fate.” They are the core tool by which face reading “judges fate precisely.”

1. The “Life Palace” corresponds to the space between the eyebrows (the Yintang, or “Seal Hall”). Its core meanings are one's inborn fate, health, and help from benefactors. Typical readings: a broad Yintang means strong support from benefactors and smooth fortune; a narrow Yintang means one easily meets petty, scheming people and has hidden health problems.

2. The “Wealth Palace” corresponds to the nose, from where the bridge begins between the eyes (the Shangen, or “Mountain Root”) to the tip of the nose (the Zhuntou). Its core meanings are financial fortune, skill in managing money, and material accumulation. Typical readings: a straight nose bridge means stable regular income; a round, full nose tip means good luck with windfall wealth; a low, sunken Shangen means large ups and downs in financial fortune.

3. The “Spouse Palace” corresponds to the area from the outer corners of the eyes to the temples, and to the eyes themselves. Its core meanings are the quality of the marriage, the relationship with one's partner, and romantic fortune. Typical readings: upturned outer eye corners mean popularity with the opposite sex; drooping outer eye corners mean the marriage easily meets setbacks; heavy dark circles under the eyes mean emotional exhaustion and a danger that the marriage will break down.

4. The “Children Palace” corresponds to the area below the cheekbones, that is, the middle of the cheeks. Its core meanings are one's bond with children, the parent–child relationship, and fortune in having children. Typical readings: full cheeks mean filial children and the blessing of many descendants; hollow cheeks mean a thin bond with children and distance between parent and child.

5. The “Property Palace” corresponds to the area above the eyebrows, that is, the two sides of the forehead. Its core meanings are fortune in real estate, family stability, and the ability to save. Typical readings: full sides of the forehead mean one easily acquires property and has a harmonious family; hollow sides of the forehead mean poor fortune with property and an unstable family.

6. The “Health Palace” corresponds to the area above the inner ends of the eyebrows, that is, the inner side of the hairline. Its core meanings are physical health, the risk of illness, and length of life. Typical readings: a full Health Palace means a strong constitution with little illness or misfortune; a sunken Health Palace means one is prone to chronic illness and a limited lifespan.

7. The “Travel Palace” corresponds to the temples. Its core meanings are fortune when away from home, social ability, and developing one's career elsewhere. Typical readings: full temples mean smooth travels and a wide network of connections; sunken temples mean obstacles to developing elsewhere and a tendency to become isolated.

8. The “Friends Palace” (also called the Servants Palace) corresponds to the two sides of the chin, that is, below the angles of the jaw. Its core meanings are relations with subordinates, social influence, and team management. Typical readings: a full jaw means one easily gets help from subordinates and has strong leadership; a pointed, narrow jaw means difficulty managing a team and a tendency toward conflict.

9. The “Fortune and Virtue Palace” corresponds to the two sides of the forehead, that is, the outer side of the hairline. Its core meanings are blessings, state of mind, and spiritual pursuits. Typical readings: a full Fortune and Virtue Palace means an optimistic outlook and deep blessings; a sunken Fortune and Virtue Palace means a tendency toward anxiety and heavy mental strain.

10. The “Career Palace” corresponds to the center of the forehead, that is, above the Yintang. Its core meanings are career achievement, standing at work, and fortune with power. Typical readings: a full Career Palace means a smooth career and an easy path to power; a low, sunken Career Palace means many obstacles in one's career and difficulty holding real power.

11. The “Parents Palace” corresponds to the hairline, that is, the very top of the forehead. Its core meanings are one's bond with parents, help from elders, and fortune in study. Typical readings: an even hairline means strong support from parents and smooth studies; an uneven, messy hairline means a thin bond with elders and many setbacks in study.

12. The “Siblings Palace” corresponds to the area above the eyebrows, that is, the two sides of the forehead. Its core meanings are relations with brothers and sisters and help from friends. Typical readings: a full Siblings Palace means deep affection between siblings and much help from friends; a sunken Siblings Palace means distance between siblings and friends who cannot be relied on.

4. “Reading Fate by the Five Features”

“Reading fate by the Five Features” breaks the five features of the face—eyebrows, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—into separate points of analysis and uses the characteristics of each to judge “tendencies of character” and “details of fate.”

1. The Longevity-Preserving Officer—corresponds to the eyebrows. Its core meanings are emotional control, relations with others, and help from benefactors. Typical readings: thick eyebrows mean a frank, straightforward character that values loyalty and friendship; sparse eyebrows mean a delicate, reserved mind; disordered eyebrows (with many stray hairs) mean a tendency toward quarrels and gossip and unstable emotions.

2. The Supervising Officer—corresponds to the eyes. Its core meanings are the good or evil in one's heart, romantic fortune, and wisdom. Typical readings: a clear gaze means a kind heart and clear wisdom; a muddy gaze means a scheming mind and a tendency to go astray.

3. The Listening Officer—corresponds to the ears. Its core meanings are inborn blessings, the bond with elders, and the health of one's hearing. Typical readings: thick, large earlobes mean deep blessings and a peaceful old age; well-defined outer ears mean a clever, studious nature and strong adaptability; protruding ears mean rebelliousness and a tendency to break away from tradition.

4. The Judging Officer—corresponds to the nose. Its core meanings are financial fortune, willpower, and self-knowledge. A straight nose bridge means a firm will and strong ambition in one's career; a round, full nose tip means good financial fortune and a tolerant nature; thin nostril wings mean difficulty holding on to money and a tendency to squander it.

5. The Treasurer Officer—corresponds to the mouth. Its core meanings are the ability to express oneself, good fortune in food and drink, and fortune in old age. Typical readings: thick lips mean one values loyalty and friendship and enjoys good food; thin lips mean sharp words and an eye for profit; drooping mouth corners mean a tendency toward pessimism and a lonely old age; upturned mouth corners mean optimism and popularity.

5. The Cultural Value of Face Reading

Face reading is based on facial features that the ancients observed and summarized over long periods, features believed to be linked to fate and character. It is the observation, tallying, induction, and summary of experience drawn from the countless destinies of real life—success and failure, gain and loss, good and bad times, health and early death, poverty and wealth, rank and lowliness—and so it has a certain value as a reference.

Its cultural value lies in the fact that in ancient society face reading served as a practical tool for “knowing people and discussing fate,” while in literature, art, and folk custom it also served as a “folk symbol.” On the one hand, facial symbols, repeatedly reinforced through literature, art, and custom, became a “cultural code” of collective memory that sustained the values and shared aesthetics of traditional society. Even in modern society, it still carries some value for “cultural heritage” and “psychological healing,” turning abstract “fate” and “character” into observable facial features and easing anxiety about the unknown.

As a traditional culture of the East, face reading carries the Chinese philosophical outlook of “the unity of heaven and humanity” and is an important sample for studying the psychology and aesthetic logic of traditional society. As a “tool for predicting fate,” however, it cannot be verified with scientific tools. In the actual practice of face reading, itinerant fortune-tellers often focus on its mysteries and “heavenly secrets,” leading people into the trap of superstition.