Chinese Art of Face Reading

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

As per the Chinese practice of face reading, human body consists of three parts - a tangible physical body, mental body, and the spiritual body. It is believed that the true nature of a person is reflected on his/her face. Similarly, an individual's emotions and his/her state of well-being are also revealed through face and body language.

The practice of reading faces or observing certain features of a face began in China around 3,000 years ago. Gui-Gu Tze, who lived during the warring period (481-221 BCE) is believed to be the father of this technique. His book Xiang Bian Wei Mang  is still used by many who are interested in face reading.

This method uses the facial features of an individual to deduce certain personality traits. The color and shape, along with certain areas of the face, is also considered. This technique divides the face into 108 parts, and each area is used to predict events or to understand an individual's personality.

A Chinese face reader reads the personality and the future of an individual from his/her ears. The face of an individual is divided into three sections.

» The upper section determines the fate of an individual from the age of 15 to 30. This section, that consists the forehead, is called the celestial region. The reason being that during this period, the fate of a person rests more in the hands of God than on one's efforts and hard work.

» The middle section of the face, called the human region, starts from the eyebrows up to the nose. This section controls the destiny of an individual from the age of 31 to 50. The success and failure of a person very much depend on his/her deeds during this period.

» The lower section of the face is called the earthy region. It starts from the bottom of the nose to the chin. The fate and destiny of an individual after 50 years is revealed by this region.

The fate and fortune of an individual is determined by his/her ears. The left ear is associated with the destiny of a person from birth to the age of seven, while the right ear tells about his/her future from the age of 8 to 14 years. It is believed that a pair of well-developed, large, and thick ear lobes is a sign of good luck, intelligence, and long life.

The width of the forehead determines the fate and destiny of an individual during his/her growing up years. During these years, he/she is under the protection of parents and ancestors. If an individual has a high and broad forehead, it means he/she would lead a good life.

Thick and long eyebrows are considered to be a good sign, and it is said that the wider the space between two eyebrows the better.

According to the Chinese method of face reading, the eyes of an individual reveal his/her intelligence.

Well-developed and high cheeks show the confidence of an individual. As per this art, the size of cheeks reveals the energy and the confidence levels of an individual.

Other facial organs such as nose, mouth, and chin also signify different characteristics of a person. Nose is associated with personal wealth, mouth deals with the sexuality, and chin determines the prosperity of an individual.