Mien shiang ( meaning face () reading ()) is a

physiognomic Physiognomy (from the Greek , , meaning "nature", and , meaning "judge" or "interpreter") is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the general ...

and

fortune-telling Fortune telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. Melton, J. Gordon. (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena''. Visible Ink Press. pp. 115-116. The scope of fortune telling is in principle identical w ...

practice in

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...

and

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

which purports to determine aspects of person's character, personality, and (future) health by analyzing their face according to the five phases (''"

wu xing Wuxing may refer to: Places in China Counties and districts *Huzhou, formerly Wuxing County, Zhejiang, China *Wuxing District (吴兴区), central district of Huzhou Subdistricts (五星街道) *Wuxing Subdistrict, Mudanjiang, in Dong'an District ...

"''). The five phases (namely

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

, and

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

) are metaphors devised by ancient

Chinese philosopher Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Warring States period (), during a period known as the "Hundred Schools of Thought", which was characterized by significant intellectual and cultural developmen ...

s to explain the relationship, interaction, and ongoing change of everything in the universe. In recent times the art of face reading has become more popular and schools that teach more wide spread.

Historical records

There are early written records of . In

Book of Rites The ''Book of Rites'', also known as the ''Liji'', is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The ''Book o ...

, it writes, "Those who look up are arrogant; Those who look down are worried; Those who look sideways are sly". After

Gou Jian Goujian () (reigned 496–465 BC) was the king of the Kingdom of Yue (越國, present-day northern Zhejiang) near the end of the Spring and Autumn period (春秋). He was the son of Marquis Yunchang. Goujian's reign coincided with arguably th ...

() of Yue () settled the

State of Wu Wu (; Old Chinese: ''*'') was one of the states during the Western Zhou dynasty and the Spring and Autumn period. It was also known as Gouwu ( /''*''/) or Gongwu ( /''*''/) from the pronunciation of the local language. Wu was located at the ...

Fan Li Fan Li () from the Spring and Autumn period, was an ancient Chinese military strategist, politician, and businessman. Fàn Li was an important political and military advisor to Goujian, the king of Yue. He later was known as Tao Zhu Gong (陶� ...

() (536–488 BCE) knew that Gou Jian had a "long neck and sharp upper lips", which meant they could face hardship together but not enjoy peace together. Fan Li later fled with

Xi Shi Xi Shi (Hsi Shih; , ) was, according to legends, one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived during the end of the Spring and Autumn period in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue. In traditional st ...

() to the

State of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong. Qi was founded shortly ...

and changed their names to lead a new life. Another historical example in which Mien Shiang was used was

Wang Anshi Wang Anshi ; ; December 8, 1021 – May 21, 1086), courtesy name Jiefu (), was a Chinese economist, philosopher, poet, and politician during the Song dynasty. He served as chancellor and attempted major and controversial socioeconomic reforms k ...

() of

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. Wang's eyes resembled those of ox, and his head shaped like those of tigers. It was said that if Wang could stare straight at the sun, he had a face with good fortune ().

''Mien shiang'' terminology

The words below are a description of terminology, such as "three parts of one's face" () which includes the upper part (), middle part (), and lower part (). #

Yin-Yang Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and ya ...

(） # Three parts of one's face (）are the upper part, middle part, and lower part. # Upper part (）is area between the forehead between the hairline and eyebrows. This section represents the fortune between ages 10 to 20, which is one's youth. # Middle part () is the area between the eyebrows and the bottom of the nose. This section represents the fortune between ages 20 to 40, which is one's adult years. # Lower part () is the area between the bottom of the nose to the chin. This section represents the fortune after ages 40, which is one's older adult years. # Five organs on one's face (）includes one's ears, eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth. # Face Shape (）includes ten major kinds: ''You'' (), ''Jia'' (), ''Shen'' (), ''Tian'' (), ''Tong'' (), ''Wang'' (), ''Yuan'' (), ''Mu'' (), ''Yong'' (), and ''Feng'' (). # Twelve Houses (）includes the 12 basic parts on one's face that represent different aspects of life. They are the life house (), wealth house (), sibling house (), marriage house (), children house (), health house (), travelling house (), assistant house (), career house (), property house (), fortune & emotion house (), and parents house (). # Wrinkle (), scar (), mole (), speckle (). # Nei Shiang (）is the internal aspect of the body including shoulders, waist, back, chest, abdomen, umbilicus, forearms, limbs, neck, breasts (for women), and others. # Gu Shiang (）is bone reading, including the skull and the bones in the body. # Dong Shiang (）is the individual's movement, including walking (), sitting and standing (), eating (), lying (), crying (), and laughing (). # Sheng Shiang (）is the sounds that one makes.

References

Chinese culture Divination Physiognomy Taoist practices Traditional Chinese medicine {{alt-med-stub

Historical records

''Mien shiang'' terminology

See also

References