11
Among the woods and springs are green-eyed immortals; at court and in the land there is no chancellor whose brows meet.
One whose name stands high in the jade registers, know, is broad of mind and ample of body.
One who is honored on the vermilion steps surely has a high, broad Heavenly Court.
Plain-Language Commentary
In the mountain forests there are green-eyed immortals; at court there is no chancellor whose eyebrows meet in the middle.
One whose renown is so high that it can be written in books of jade should be broad of mind and ample of body.
The vermilion steps (steps painted with red lacquer): those who receive homage on a high platform all have a high, broad Heavenly Court (upper forehead).
In ancient times, when a ruler held a person in high regard, he would build a high platform and bestow on him the appropriate tokens of office upon it.
12
A dragon's walk and a tiger's stride: a general of courage, a minister fit to hold military command.
A lion's nose and a dragon's eyes: in the halls of court, an aide who is thigh and arm to the ruler.
Plain-Language Commentary
“A dragon's walk and a tiger's stride” describes a general's heroic bearing. It comes from the “Annals of Taizu” in the History of Song: “He often told his close ministers that Taizong had a dragon's walk and a tiger's stride.” A brave and mighty general is a minister able to serve as a military commissioner.
Thigh and arm: originally the limbs of the body (the thighs and arms), extended as a metaphor for the important ministers or capable right-hand men who assist the ruler—talented people who give strong support on either side.
The halls of court: originally spacious temples and palaces used for religious sacrifices and similar activities. Later the term came to stand for the court, a concept tied to the politics of the state, representing the center of state power and the place where decisions are made.
One with a nose like a lion's and eyes like a dragon's can become an important talent who assists the court, with high position and great power, high office, and generous emolument.
13
A turtle's form and a crane's bones: delighting in the Tao among mountains and forests.
A sparrow's hop and a snake's slither: meeting with officials and prison.
Plain-Language Commentary
With a form like a turtle's and a bearing like a crane's bones, one can be free and happy in the mountain forests, seeking the great Tao.
Those who hop like a sparrow and move like a snake are prone to the calamity of imprisonment.
14
Meeting danger yet finding rescue: the Yintang is calm and no black invades it.
Without danger: the Hall of Blessings is bright and the spirit is not exposed.
Plain-Language Commentary
The sign that one will be rescued when meeting danger is a Yintang (the spot between the eyebrows) that is clear and calm, with no black color invading it.
The sign that one will meet difficulty without danger is a Yintang that is bright and calm, with the spirit not exposed (full of spirit yet not showing it outwardly).
15
Deep-set eyes and raised bones: one's closest kin are like strangers.
When the border lands are full and raised, even those not of one's kin are like oneself.
A dog's form and a pig's gaze: one always harbors a jealous heart.
A sparrow hawk's eyes and a shrimp's pupils: one never sheds a violent, overbearing nature.
Plain-Language Commentary
With deep-set eyes and prominent bones, one treats even one's closest relatives like strangers.
The border lands are the part of the face below the cheekbones. When the face is full here, even people who are not close find one easy to approach.
With a dog's form and a pig's gaze, one is often jealous.
“Violent and overbearing” means domineering and ferocious; a violent, overbearing nature is a domineering, ferocious character.
People with the gaze of a sparrow hawk and the eyes of a shrimp always have a domineering, ferocious character.
The gaze is the expression of a person's thoughts; the gaze can truly reflect what one thinks.
16
Long below and short above: wandering in foreign lands.
Exposed teeth and a knotted throat: hard to have a family.
Plain-Language Commentary
“Long below and short above”: those whose lower face is long and upper face short wander in foreign lands.
Those whose teeth are exposed and whose Adam's apple protrudes find it hard to start a family.
17
Hearing happy news yet not happy: because the golden casket has a flaw.
Facing cause for worry yet not worried: because the jade hall pays court.
Plain-Language Commentary
The golden casket: a term of physiognomists meaning a face of wealth and rank.
Hearing happy news yet not being happy is because something is still not complete within one's wealth and rank.
The jade hall: a hall adorned with jade, also a fine name for a palace; the name of a Han-dynasty palace; the name of a government office—the Han palace attendants had a Jade Hall office, and from the Song onward the Hanlin Academy was also called the Jade Hall; the dwelling of immortals; the mansion of the rich and noble; and the name of an acupoint on the body.
Paying court: surrounding and guarding. “The jade hall pays court”: receiving the care of spirits or of people.
Not being worried when facing something one ought to worry about is because one has the help of a benefactor at court, and so one can turn danger into good fortune.
18
Ears as thin as paper: do not hope for glory.
A face like taut hide: do not speak of long life.
Plain-Language Commentary
If one's ears are as thin as a sheet of paper, one should not expect to gain glory, wealth, and rank.
If one's facial expression is always taut, one should not talk of wanting health and long life.
19
A high, broad Heavenly Court: one gains promotion from the noble above.
A slanting Earthly Pavilion: one invites slander from those below.
Plain-Language Commentary
With a high, broad Heavenly Court, one can gain the promotion and help of noble people above.
With a slanting Earthly Pavilion (chin), one easily suffers slander and false accusations from those below.
20
If spirit and qi are clear, then even with a stagnant complexion one is not poor.
If qi is weak and spirit withered, then even with a bright complexion, what use is it?
Plain-Language Commentary
If the spirit of the face is good and the body's qi fresh, then even if the complexion is not very good, one will not be a poor, lowly person.
If the body's breath is weak and the spirit withered and powerless, then even with a bright complexion, what use is it?
21
Alas:
Poor and needy women are none other than those with a jutting chest and high buttocks.
Wanton harlots surely have a coarse body and a delicate face.
Plain-Language Commentary
“Wanton,” also written with a variant character, means indulging without restraint in pleasure—lewd, licentious, promiscuous.
Poor and needy women are none other than those whose breastbone juts out and whose buttocks are set high.
Dissolute harlots surely have a thick, sturdy body and a delicate, smooth face.
22
A husband-killer's voice comes out strong and mannish; one fond of desire has a face tinged with peach blossom.
A back bearing burdens and brows raised; lips curled up and teeth exposed.
Leaning in the doorway, standing at the gate; nose upturned and lips drawn.
Children harmed and injured: the Tear Hall is deep and black.
Fields and gardens all sold off: the well and the stove open to the sky.
Hands and feet that sway: one who has never kept one's word.
A full Chengjiang: in old age, one's life has a place to rest.
Plain-Language Commentary
One whose character is too hard and whose body is too robust is liable to kill her husband; one addicted to desire always seems to have a face tinged with peach blossom.
“A back bearing burdens and brows raised”: many things on the shoulders and eyebrows lifted up; the nose upturned and exposed, and the lips as if drawn by something.
The children will suffer harm and injury; the Tear Hall (the area below the eyes) is deeply sunken and dark in color.
The fields are all sold, the well and stove are empty—utter poverty.
Hands and feet that sway as if without strength: such a person does not keep their word.
Chengjiang: a physiognomy term and also the name of an acupoint, in the hollow at the center below the lower lip.
If the Chengjiang point is full, then one's life in old age has somewhere to belong and someone to rely on; one will not be alone and helpless, but will have support and care in old age.
23
Lines gathered and brows knitted: year after year without joy.
Random lines piercing the Yintang: day after day full of worry.
Plain-Language Commentary
With too many lines and the eyebrows drawn together, nothing good happens year after year, so one can hardly be happy any year.
With random lines running across the face, one always has many worries every day.
24
Talking of rights and wrongs comes from light lips and a thin tongue.
Being without humaneness or righteousness also comes from thick brows and roving eyes.
Plain-Language Commentary
Those who often gossip about rights and wrongs have light lips and a thin tongue.
People without humaneness or righteousness are so because they have thick, heavy eyebrows and unsteady eyes that glance left and right and never settle.
25
The blessed have hands like bags of silk floss; the unblessed have lips like black mulberries.
Plain-Language Commentary
The hands of a blessed person are as soft as a bag made of silk floss; the lips of an unblessed person are like black mulberries.
26
Many daughters and few sons: just look at whether both ends of the two brows droop.
Father dead and mother harmed: know it by black moles growing at the corners of the forehead.
Dust spread over the whole face: that person's prospects will not last long.
A black mole on the philtrum: one will raise another's child.
Plain-Language Commentary
For many daughters and few sons, look at how far the tails of the two eyebrows droop.
For a father dead and a mother harmed, there will be black moles at the upper corners of the forehead.
When dust covers the whole face, such a person will not live long.
When there is a mole on the philtrum, such a person will raise someone else's child.
27
Whiskers brushing to the right: surely the wife wields the husband's power.
Dignified in walking and sitting: surely the son will carry on the father's work.
Plain-Language Commentary
If the beard points to the right, surely the wife is in charge of the family business, and the wife holds power in the household.
If one's sitting posture is dignified, surely the son will carry on the father's business and work.
28
If one would discuss the periods of fortune, infer them from each part.
Carefully discern the foundation, and seek out the mysteries of each.
Worth and folly, long life and early death—none escapes this text; let students study it.
Plain-Language Commentary
If you want to see fortune, you can infer it by combining the various parts of the face.
In face reading, first carefully discern and examine the foundation, then look for the subtle changes in each part of the face.
Whether one is worthy or foolish, long-lived or short-lived, nothing goes beyond what is set out in this text; students of physiognomy should observe and discern it in detail.
Further Reading:
“Li Guang who could hardly be ennobled”: Li Guang fought the Xiongnu for more than forty years in all, yet he was never made a marquis. His cousin Li Cai, who had served with him as a palace gentleman, was inferior to him in both character and ability—not even of average standard—and his reputation was far below Li Guang's, yet he was ennobled time after time. In the fifth year of the Yuanshuo era he became General of Light Chariots and was later made Marquis of Le'an, and in the second year of the Yuanshou era he replaced Gongsun Hong as chancellor. Many of Li Guang's subordinates were also made marquises, yet Li Guang never received a noble title or fief, and his official rank never rose above that of the Nine Ministers.
Once Li Guang was talking with Wang Shuo, who had a gift for “reading qi and telling fortunes,” and said: “Ever since the Han began attacking the Xiongnu, I have never failed to take part. Yet among the colonels of the various divisions and those below them, men whose abilities are not even average, dozens have been made marquises for their merit in attacking the Hu, while I, who have never lagged behind others, have not won the slightest merit to earn a fief. Why is this? Is it that my face is not the face of a marquis? Or is it simply fate?” (Records of the Grand Historian, “Biography of General Li”)
Wang Shuo said: “General, think back—is there anything you have done that you regret?”
Li Guang thought about it and said: “When I was governor of Longxi, the Qiang people rebelled. I induced them to surrender and then killed them. To this day, that is my greatest regret.”
Wang Shuo said: “There is no greater crime than killing those who have already surrendered. This is why you have not been ennobled.”