Mayi Shenxiang · The Mayi Art of Physiognomy

Voice, Qi, Bones, Head and Face

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On the Voice A person's voice is like the sound of bells and drums: a large vessel has a broad sound; a small vessel a short sound. Clear spirit gives harmonious qi, and harmonious qi gives a moist voice, deep, round and fluent. Turbid spirit gives hurried qi, and hurried qi gives a scorched, urgent, light and hoarse voice. Thus the voice of a person of rank usually comes from the elixir field. Voice and qi communicate and issue outward as a whole. The elixir field is the voice's root; the tongue's tip its surface. A deep root makes the surface weighty; a shallow root makes it light. Voice arises from the root and appears at the surface. Clear and round, upright and bright, slow yet intense, urgent yet harmonious, long and strong, bold yet measured: loud like a great bell's rising resonance and the source's turtle-drum sounding; soft like jade-water's flowing chime and a qin playing its melody. The complexion is pure before movement, and an answer comes only after listening to a person's words for some time. All these are called signs of a person of rank. A petty person's words all arise at the tongue's tip, hurried and failing to carry. Why? Urgency becomes hoarseness, slowness roughness, depth obstruction, shallowness a bathing-or-agitation quality in this wording. Loudness scatters and scattering breaks. Weight and lightness may be unequal, ringing brightness unmeasured; another damaged clause describes violent sound; complexity becomes disorder and superficiality. Such sounds resemble a broken gong or ruined drum, a winter crow feeding chicks, geese choking, a sick ape seeking a companion, a lone goose losing its flock, an earthworm's fine chant, a blue-green turtle's wild night lament, a dog barking or a sheep bleating. The text calls all these signs of low and meager station. A man with a woman's voice is associated with poverty and low station; a woman with a man's voice with harmful obstruction. A large body and small voice are adverse. An irregular dry-or-wet clause followed by unevenness is called the Net Voice. Unequal loudness and softness are called the Female-and-Male Voice. Slowness followed by urgency, urgency followed by slowness, qi exhausted before sound ceases, or color changing before the heart stirs: all are called signs of low station. When spirit is settled within and qi harmonious outwardly, one can engage with things. The following irregular sentence nevertheless speaks of words having an order of before and after, while complexion does not change. If spirit is unsettled and intention disharmonious, words lose their sequence and language and complexion become disturbed. This is called a petty person's appearance. People receive the forms of the Five Phases, so qi and voice also correspond to their images. Earth voice is deep and substantial; Wood voice high and singing; Fire voice scorched and intense; Water voice slow and urgent; Metal voice harmonious and moist. Another saying: a light voice cannot decide affairs; a broken voice accomplishes nothing; a turbid voice cannot make plans prosper; a low voice is dull and unlettered. A clear chant like water flowing in a ravine means the highest rank. A bright, fluent sound felt to resonate inside a jar indicates a person complete in the Five Blessings. On Listening to the Voice A small voice with high brightness means the utmost worth and rank. A fine, tender speaking voice means poverty and cold, and further danger and difficulty. A woman with a masculine voice never enjoys glory: her husband is described as early strong, and she has a husband's name in vain. The next damaged clause joins a man with a masculine voice, obstruction, and many sons and daughters; an urgent, cutting voice is then linked with harm to the husband and an ending. Verse: Wood voice sings high; Fire voice is scorched; Harmonious, moist Metal voice has the greatest abundance. Earth speech is as though from a deep jar; Water voice is round and urgent, also floating. A ranked person's resonance comes from the elixir field, Qi substantial, throat broad, the sound firm and ringing. Poverty and low station never leave lips and tongue; A lifetime of running about is beyond telling. A great voice has no form: entrusted to qi, it issues forth. The lowly voice is floating and turbid, the ranked voice clear and engaging. Too soft means timid; too hard means breaking. Audible across a mountain, round, long and unbroken: this is the ranked person, whose bearing and integrity are perceived from afar. Text note: Turtle-drum, bathing/agitation, the violent-sound clause, dry/wet wording, and the gender-and-spouse clauses follow an irregular copy. Early strong has not been silently changed to early death. These sex, status and fate associations are the text's historical assertions. On Qi When stone contains jade, the mountain shines; when sand holds gold, the river has the source's lintel-worded brilliance. This is the reality of utmost refinement appearing in color and issuing in form. Form is substance; qi fills substance, and substance expands through qi. Complete spirit gives ample qi; settled spirit gives still qi. If gain and loss cannot make qi violent, and joy and anger cannot startle spirit, virtue has room to receive and capacity has measure. Such is a substantial person with blessings. Form is like timber, with differences among qi, zi, the source's geng-mian, and thorny woods. Spirit is like a craftsman treating timber and employing the vessel. Voice is like listening to a vessel's sound and thereby knowing its quality. Qi is like a horse, ridden along a road toward good or ill. The cultivated person nourishes the material well, directs virtue well, works the vessel well and drives the horse well. The petty person is the reverse. Ample qi can contain things; harmonious qi can meet things; clear qi can manifest things; upright qi can order things. Without breadth it is constricted; without harmony perverse; without firmness weak; without clarity turbid; without uprightness biased. Observe the shallowness or depth of qi and examine whether complexion is dry or still, and cultivated and petty persons become distinguishable. Qi that appears outwardly, relaxed and harmonious without violence, indicates fortune and longevity. Urgent, hurried, uneven qi, suddenly displayed in complexion, indicates low station. Medical classics count one exhalation and one inhalation as one breath, totaling 13,500 in a day and night. Yet people's breathing is observably fast or slow: while a fast breather takes ten breaths, a slow one has not yet taken seven or eight. The old and fat breathe very quickly; another obscurely designated group somewhat slowly. The author therefore fears that the ancients' statement did not exhaust the principle. Breathing qi issues upon the face's surface and becomes an omen of good or ill. Dispersed, it is like fine hair; gathered, like millet. Viewed, it has form; pressed, it leaves no trace. Without concentrated observation, judgments of disaster and fortune have no basis. Qi enters and leaves without sound, and the eyes do not themselves perceive it. Lying down without panting is called the Tortoise-Breath qi configuration. Breathing with qi overflowing and the body moving is called a sign of death. Mencius disregarded the stipend of ten thousand measures: he could nourish qi. As for those who contend for desirable gain, anxiously alter their color in the damaged phrase and make their qi violent, what is there to discuss? Verse: Qi is the root of form; Observe it to see worth or folly. Petty persons are often hurried and dry; Cultivated persons broad and relaxed. Violent qi, with an irregular geng graph, brings successive disasters; Deep composure leaves blessings in abundance. Who knows the capacity of duke or chief minister? Empty, it receives like a deep abyss. Liuzhuang says: From hairline to Receiving Fluids, qi on left and right stops at 125 regions. If dark moles are all called aids to physiognomy, the fine quality of bones and qi must be considered the essential subtlety. Text note: The river-lintel, timber, slow-breather group, anxious-color and violent-qi expressions are irregular. The breath total follows the supplied numerical context; the author's own criticism of a fixed total is retained. These physiognomic and medical claims are historical. On Bones Bones and joints image metal and stone. They should be elevated, not crosswise; round, not coarse. A thin person should not expose bones. When flesh fails to support bone and bone is exposed, the text predicts many difficulties and disasters. A fat person should not expose flesh. A person of stagnant fullness should not have the source's rush-plant quality; being full to overflowing is called a dead person's appearance. Bone and flesh should be proportionate, qi and blood responsive. Cold, contracted bones mean poverty or the supplied Heaven-wording. The following forehead/back and stubborn-standing phrase is damaged; cold bones and raised shoulders are mentioned. In general, incompleteness is joined in another irregular list to poverty, rank, lifespan, wealth and premature death. Hence the saying: if not poor, then short-lived. Straight-rising bones left of Sun Corner and right of Moon Corner are Golden City Bones, indicating office among the Three Excellencies. Bone rising from Seal Hall to Heavenly Court is Heavenly Crossbar Bone; from Heavenly Court through the crown, Reclining Rhinoceros Bone. Both indicate the Three Excellencies. Bones standing out upon the face are Cheekbones, governing power. Cheekbones joining and entering the ears are King-Beam Bones, governing long life. Upper arm to elbow is Dragon Bone, imaging the ruler; it should be long and large. Elbow to wrist is Tiger Bone, imaging the minister; it should be short and fine. Bones should be elevated and relaxed, round and firm, straight and corresponding, joints tight rather than coarse: all these show solidity. Cheekbones entering the temples are Traveling Horse Bones. Above the left eye is Sun Corner Bone; above the right, Moon Corner Bone. Bone level with the ear is General's Bone. A damaged position followed by day-and-round graphs is called Dragon Corner Bone. Outside the two grooves is Great-Griddle Bone. The two sides of Upright Center on the forehead are also called Dragon Corner Bones. Verse: Bones should neither rise sharply nor lie exposed; They should also be round, clear and refined in qi. Bone is yang and flesh yin; If yin is not abundant, yang has no support. If yin and yang, bone and flesh, are balanced, One not ranked in youth will still be wealthy for life. Raised bones are followed by the supplied Heaven-wording. Exposed bones mean no establishment. Soft, weak bones mean long life without happiness; crosswise bones adversity; light bones poverty and low station; common bones foolish turbidity; cold bones hardship and meagerness; round bones blessings; isolated bones no close kin. Another saying: Wood bones are thin and blue-green-black, coarse and large at both ends, indicating much hardship. Water bones are pointed at both ends, with wealth and rank beyond telling. Fire bones are coarse at both ends, without virtue and lowly as a servant. Earth bones, written here with a scholar graph, are large with coarse, thick skin, indicating many children and wealth. Flesh-bones are firm and hard, giving longevity without happiness. Bones that later arise as corners on the head bring late-life fortune and stipend; those later arising at chin and forehead bring wealth in old age. Verse: A ranked person's joints are fine, round and long; No sinews show on the bones, and flesh is fragrant. Ruler bone and minister bone respond and support one another; There is no fear of lacking position and food from Heavenly Storehouse. How could coarse bones obtain abundant food and clothing? If the regions give no response, do not seek it. Dragon and Tiger should not restrain or sink each other; Sinews wrapping the bones are a troubling sign of low station. Text note: Damaged anatomical locations and repeated Dragon Corner names are retained without inventing a chart. King-Beam and Great-Griddle follow the supplied names. Heaven and scholar graph variants, the rush-plant wording, and flesh-bones are disclosed rather than replaced with a different edition. On Flesh Flesh generates blood and conceals bone, imaging Earth, which produces and completes the myriad beings. Fullness should not be excessive, nor thinness deficient. Excess makes yin overcome yang; deficiency makes yang overcome yin. When one overcomes the other, this is called a one-sided form. An irregular linking phrase then identifies yin and bone as yang. With yin abundant, spirit generates blood; with yang abundant, spirit generates qi. Flesh should be firm and substantial, straight and raised. Flesh should not lie inside the bones, which would be yin deficient; bone should not grow outside flesh, which would be yang excessive. Thus a fat person has short qi, and a fat horse pants. Flesh should not be too much, nor bone too little. Sudden fatness and panting qi are called a time of approaching death. Flesh should not spread crosswise: this means a hard, violent disposition. It should not be slack: this means a weak, fearful disposition. A fat person should not have disordered line-paths; leaking paths are called a sign of approaching death. Flesh should be fragrant and warm; complexion white and moist; skin fine and smooth. All these are fine substance. Dim, withered color, black and foul-smelling skin, and the supplied lump-related phrase are not a favorable appearance. Spirit disproportionate to trunk and limbs, sinews not binding bone, flesh not dwelling on the body, and skin not enclosing flesh are called responses of swift death. Verse: The source's bone-person has fine flesh, smooth as moss; Red and white light concentrate, and wealth and rank arrive. To the touch, cotton-soft and also warm: Throughout life there are few adverse disasters. Tight flesh and coarse skin are most unfavorable; Tense as a stretched drum, life cannot be long. Much black and little red mean many obstructions; Light all over the body means a hasty, hard disposition. To know the appearance of a ranked duke or chief minister, Without angelica or orchid it is naturally fragrant. Text note: The yin/bone linking phrase, lump phrase and opening bone-person wording are irregular as supplied. These body, character and mortality associations express the historical source's system. On the Head The head is the body's honored part, chief of the hundred bones, meeting place of the yang and ancestor of the Five Phases. High and round, it images the virtue of Heaven and Earth. Its bones should be full and rising, lofty and projecting; skin thick, forehead broad. Shortness means early death, length longevity. The head should be square. A projecting crown means high rank; a sunken one short life. Thin skin means poverty and low station; fleshy corners on the head great rank. Sinking on the right harms the mother; on the left the father. Behind the ears is bone named Longevity Bone: rising means long years; deficiency and sinking early death. At the temples is Fusang Bone. Above both ears is Jade Tower Bone, governing wealth and rank. The head should not shake while walking or hang low while sitting: both are called signs of poverty and low station. Verse: The rear head joins rising bone from the temples; Office and enjoyment naturally extend the years. Sparse hair and thin skin are signs of poverty; Left or right deviation brings difficulty to parents. Corner bones upon the head bring investiture as a military marquis; Linked mountains behind the head bring flowing wealth and rank. Further growth of Pillow Bone ultimately means blessings; Coarse above and short below is called a lowly person's head. Supplied Explanation The head is the noblest place of the whole body, honored chief of all bones, where the various yang qi meet, and ancestor of the Five Phases. High and round, it is lofty like Heaven. Full, projecting, high and prominent bones are good; skin should be thick, forehead broad and square. Here the explanation says a short forehead should be thick and a long forehead square. A projecting forehead-crown means high rank; a collapsed forehead short life. Thin forehead skin means poverty and low station; fleshy corners on the head great rank. Sinking on the right harms the mother; on the left the father. Behind the ears is Longevity Bone: projecting means long life, low and sunken means early death. At the temples is Fusang Bone; above the ears Jade Tower Bone. Together they govern wealth and rank. Head shaking while walking and head lowered while sitting are both called signs of poverty and low station. The explanation repeats: a rear head joined to rising temple bones means office and increased years. Its next wording combines a long head, sparseness and thin facial skin as signs of poverty and low station. Deviations and sinking on either side harm parents. Corner bones growing on the head bring a marquisate; linked mountains behind the head bring wealth and rank; renewed Pillow Bone brings blessings. Coarse above and short below is a lowly person's head. Text note: Both the original and its appended explanation are translated. The original short/long lifespan rule differs from the explanation's short-thick/long-square forehead rule; neither is substituted for the other. The explanation's long-head/sparse-hair wording is also retained as supplied. These are historical assertions. On the Forehead The forehead is Fire Star. Heavenly Court, Heavenly Center and Minister of Works are all situated there: it is the storehouse of rank and low station. Its bone should be full, rising, elevated and broad. Five pillars entering the crown give rank as Son of Heaven. High as an upright wall, broad as an overturned liver, bright and moist, square and long: these are called signs of rank and longevity. Deviation to the left harms the father; to the right the mother. Verse: The forehead's front rises high and substantial; By the method, office, title and stipend surely advance. Deficiency to left or right is called a truly lowly sign; In youth it indicates separation from parents. If the source's hair is full and bones rise high, Speech is capable and temperament outstanding and bold. Full Heavenly Storehouses left and right bring rank; Raised Sun and Moon Corners indicate official employment. Raised Upright Center Bone brings three thousand shi; When sunken, children are frightened and distressed. A woman with this form must remarry; A man, though having stipend, withdraws from court. Moist Seal Hall and high, rising bone Mean stipend in youth and charge of the Merit Office. The upturned-moon Literary Star on the forehead brings rank; A round, radiant face displays outstanding boldness. Supplied Explanation The forehead is Fire Star. Heavenly Court, Heavenly Center and Minister of Works are all on it; it is where rank and low station are distinguished. High, rising, broad bone and five pillars entering straight into the crown give wealth and rank like the Son of Heaven. Rising like a mountain wall, broad like an overturned liver, square, thick and long are called signs of wealth, rank and long life. Deviation on either side harms parents. A forehead rising forward, high and substantial, is said to bring promotion in title, office and stipend. Unequal sides are called a sign of poverty and low station, with separation from parents in youth. Full, high forehead bone means advancement, capable speech and an outstanding, bold nature. Full Heavenly Storehouses on both sides mean wealth and rank; rising Sun and Moon Corners smooth official fortune. Rising Upright Center Bone means abundant food and clothing; sinking means disaster for children. A woman with this form is said to remarry; a man may hold office but ultimately loses it and retires. Moist Seal Hall and rising bone mean entering official service and receiving government pay while young. An upturned-moon Literary Star on the forehead is called a sign of great rank. Radiance upon the forehead is called a ranked person's appearance. Text note: The verse's hair wording differs from the appended explanation's forehead bone; both remain. Its three thousand shi is a historical measure, not a converted modern salary. The repeated explanation is part of the supplied body and is translated in full. On the Face The face arrays the numinous qualities of a hundred regions, occupies spirit's pathways communicating with the five bowels, represents the completed images of the Three Powers, and determines a person's gains and losses. Thus the Five Peaks and Four Waterways should face one another; the Three Divisions and their regions should be full. Upright appearance, still spirit and harmonious qi are the foundations of wealth and rank. Irregular skewing, slanting, deficiency, dim color and the source's unfavorable description of qi and appearance are called signs of poverty and low station. The color list is compressed and irregular: white like congealed gel, a lacquer comparison, yellow, a steamed-millet comparison, and purple like crimson silk are associated with great wealth and rank. A scarlet face blazing like fire means short life and sudden death. Fuzzy hair-color, turbidity, withering and dryness, as if dusty without wind, mean premature death. A complexion changing to blue-green-blue in anger is called a harmful person's sign. A face forming three fists means, for a man, harm to sons and poverty, and for a woman, harm to the husband and low station. A full-moon face, clear and refined, with radiance shooting toward others, is called the Morning-Cloud Face: for a man, duke, minister or chief minister; for a woman, empress, consort or titled lady. Thick facial skin means a simple, filial nature; thin facial skin an alert nature and poverty. A full body with a thin face means long life and a relaxed disposition; a thin body with a full face short life and a hurried disposition. A white face and black body mean an easy disposition and low station; a black face and white body a difficult disposition and rank. A face like a yellow cucumber means wealth, rank and glory; one like a blue-green cucumber praiseworthy wisdom and discernment. Verse: A high nose bridge is surely no ordinary thing; Cramped lines mean middle-age life does not last. Full, round Earth Storehouse brings abundant fields; Level, broad Heavenly Court flourishing descendants. Another saying: Facing someone yet seeing no ears: whose child is this? The text says this means great rank. Facing someone yet seeing no jaw: where does this person come from? The text says this is greatly unfavorable. Another saying: A coarse face and fine body are a person's blessing; A fine face and coarse body mean lifelong poverty. Even with Jade Towers, without the supplied gathered-hair wording, One has neither duty nor close kin throughout life. Supplied Explanation The face is the numinous abode of the body's hundred regions and spirit's pathway toward the five viscera, with an irregular retreat graph in this wording. It symbolizes the Three Powers and determines a person's gains and losses; its position is very important. If the Five Peaks—both cheekbones, nose, forehead and chin—and Four Waterways—ears, eyes, mouth and nose—all face one another; if the body's Three Divisions and the face's Three Divisions are full; and appearance is upright, spirit quiet, qi and color peaceful, these are the foundations of wealth and rank. A skewed, irregular, slanting, deficient appearance, dim complexion and the text's unfavorable description of qi, color and form belong to signs of poverty and low station. White facial color should be radiant and moist like a jade wall; black should shine like black lacquer; yellow should have the color of steamed chestnuts; purple resemble crimson silk. All these are called favorable. Scarlet blazing as if burned by fire means short life and sudden death. A face dim as if coated in dust means poverty, low station and early death. Blue-green-blue color when angry is called a harmful person's sign. A three-fists face means harm to sons and poverty for men, harm to husbands and low station for women. A full-moon face, clear and refined, with radiance shooting toward others is called the Morning-Cloud Face. In a man it indicates rank as duke, marquis, general or chief minister; in a woman rank as empress, consort or titled lady. Thick facial skin indicates a sincere, filial disposition; thin skin an intelligent disposition and poverty. A full body and thin face mean long life and a relaxed disposition; a thin body and full face short life and a hasty disposition. A white face and black body mean a person easy to get along with but poor and low in station. Text note: The original's compressed color list is not silently filled from its clearer appended explanation. Steamed millet in the former and steamed chestnuts in the latter remain distinct. The gathered-hair phrase and several opening explanatory graphs are irregular. The explanation ends at the white-face/black-body judgment; the original's subsequent comparisons remain above. All appearance-based character, status and lifespan judgments belong to the historical text.

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