The Art of Face Reading

"Your face, my thane, is as a book where
Men may read strange matters."
--William Shakespeare
“Macbeth”

Human beings possess three bodies. First, there is the physical body, which you can see and is tangible. It is solid and has a shape, a color and a texture. The second and third bodies are the mental and the spiritual which are intangible and merge with the physical body. Our true nature begins to take on a physical form in our face. It is where our emotions and our state of health are first revealed. And, as Shakespeare pointed out in his play Macbeth: “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.” For the face is truly an opened book.

For thousands of years, the ancient sages wondered if our facial features could determine our fate or personality. They began to compile individual studies, one feature at a time, to see if there was a direct correlation between facial features and specific fates. In ancient Greece, Aristotle wrote extensively on physiognomy categorizing his findings into six chapters that included physical characteristics of face, body & voice. The Classical scholars, such as Homer and Hippocrates, wrote of face reading as an ancient method of practical philosophy. In the Middle Ages physiognomy was combined with astrology and became part of the divination arts. By the 18th & 19th century it was used in Europe as a separate study of criminology where facial features were used to identify potential criminals. In the 20th century it was lost to folklore and superstition. But, face reading has reemerged in the 21st century as a guide in psychoanalysis or, as a tool for a competitive edge in the executive boardrooms of corporate America. It is no longer a parlor game. The continuos interest in face reading has given credence to an art that the Chinese have always known has been an important guide in human understanding.

In China, the father of face reading is often credited to the philosopher Gui-Gu Tze, who lived during the Warring State Period (481-221 BC). His book Xiang Bian Wei Mang is still in print to this very day and is studied by serious students of physiognomy.

The Chinese art of face reading is a very involved system that classifies facial features individually by judging the color, shape and disfigurements of specific areas of the face. Basically, the face is partitioned into 108 areas. Each area is a specific age & life situation and by observing the Five Elements of the productive/destructive cycle and the Taoist theories of yang & yin, it may be possible to predict events, diagnosis illnesses or to understand a person’s personality.

To become proficient in face reading it is important to memorize the bagua and to understand what each trigram represents. The bagua becomes an important tool in dividing the face into seasons, body sites and specific life situations. If you look at figure #1 you can see that when you place it over a person’s face the trigrams fall into their appropriate locations. Li, the South, is at the forehead; it is Fame & represents fire. We can be assured that if the forehead is auspicious recognition will come our way. The center of the face is the Tai Chi. A black mole on the bridge of the nose spells disaster since water (black) weakens the Earth. The chin is Kan, which is water on the bagua and if the color red (fire) appears here an illness to our urinary tract or related organs may occur. A blemish in schun could mean a chronic illness that reoccurs in late spring or that a financial problem might be burdening you. A scar at the right temple (Kun) may indicate that a close relationship has suffered.

We now measure the face into the Three Stages of the Chinese trinity of Heaven, Man and Earth. The First Stage, which is Heaven, starts at the hairline down to the eyebrows. This represents our childhood. The Second Stage, which is traditionally known as Man, starts at the brow and ends at the area just below the nose tip. This is our middle years. From the nose tip to the bottom of the chin is our old age or the Third Stage and it is called Earth. It is important that the distance between each Stage is even in length. If one Stage is 1/3 less in size then life could be difficult at that particular period of life. A short, narrow forehead may indicate an unhappy childhood. A large forehead may tell us this person will come into society early. The Second Stage announces: “This is my life!” If it is open or has a happy feeling then this person may have, thus far, a good life. But, a short Third Stage may reveal a short life contrary to a long chin, which indicates a long life.

There are Four Turning Points of Life on the face. They are called Gates. The first Gate is between the eyebrows or the Third Eye and it is the age 41. The second Gate is located just under the tip of the nose and it is the age 51. The third Gate is right under the lower lip and it is the age 61. And, the last Gate is at the bottom of the chin and it is the age 71. These Gates are considered a “critical age” and that any scars, lines, inauspicious moles or blemishes here may predict difficulties around that age.

The Chinese also use the shapes and characteristics of the Five Elements to further describe a personality. A Fire face will be pointy like a triangle. For example, high, prominent cheekbones. They could be quick-tempered. A Wood face is long, rectangular in shape. They could be stubborn. A Water face is soft & round and may posses a long jawline. They can be flexible. Whereas, an Earth face is thick and they may be generous. And, a Metal face is square, especially the jaw & forehead. They can be self-indulgent.

The ancient Chinese also made a distinction between what was considered fortunate or unfortunate for either a female or a male. In order to keep harmony in a marriage what may be desirable on a man was not desired on a woman. For example, high prominent cheekbones and a very high forehead on a woman would not make a desirable mate. That’s because high cheekbones indicate aggression & competitiveness and a very high forehead is power. The ancient sages felt it was best that only the man wore the pants in a household. But, a look through any fashion magazine can tell you that in modern times high cheekbones are considered attractive, as well as, a prerequisite for any aspiring fashion model or actress. But, if you think about it you’d have to be aggressive and competitive in a profession like that.

In Chinese face reading, we also have The Twelve Houses. These are 12 points on the face representing various life situations from the First House of Fate, positioned between the eyebrows, to the Second House of Siblings (eyebrows) to the 4th House of Children (under the eyes) and so on.

Below is a brief summation of auspicious and
inauspicious qualities of some facial features:

A summary of the ears:

Auspicious: Above the eyebrow level;
long earlobes; flat against head; wide door.
Inauspicious: Small earlobes;
leaning forward; narrow door.

A summary of the eyebrows:

Auspicious: Dark, thick, long;
smooth and orderly; high above eyes.
Inauspicious: Sparse, thin, pale,
short; chaotic; close to eyes.

A summary of the nose:
Auspicious: High, straight bridge; big, round
tip; full, fleshy wings; invisible nostrils.
Inauspicious: Low, crooked, hooked or bumpy bridge;
pointed or upturned tip; thin wings; visible nostrils.

A summary of the mouth:

Auspicious: Rosy colored; thick, broad squared
shape; symmetrically balanced; lips closed.
Inauspicious: White, dark colored; thin; a small
shape; symmetrically unbalanced; lips opened.

A summary of the chin:

Auspicious: Full, fleshy, broad & long.
Inauspicious: Thin, short, pointed or
receded, dimpled or broken.

A summary of the eyes:

Auspicious: Large size; wide-set;
dark pupils with silvery whites.
Inauspicious: Small; close-set;
small pupils and discolored whites.

Face reading is a subjective art and therefore it is as reliable as the person who is doing the interpretation. But that is what makes art an art. Now that we have a basic feel for physiognomy we can look at some famous faces & see if we can get to know them better.