Mayi Shenxiang · The Mayi Art of Physiognomy

Brow Forms

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On the Brows Verse: Brows are the Purple Qi Star of human relations; High ridges, sparse, light, refined and clear Bring lifelong reputation above others, Stipend at the imperial house and a flourishing name. Lacquer-dark brows and thick hair often mean low station; Reversed brows and coarse hairs defy favorable discussion. If the source's long-tai is present, the years pass ninety; A sorrowful look and short, cramped form leave few fields and gardens. Supplied Explanation Brows carry the sense of brightness and beauty. They are the canopy of both eyes, display the whole face's bearing, and are also called the eyes' finest expression. They can be used, the text says, to distinguish worth from folly. They should therefore be fine, level and broad. Refined, long brows indicate intelligence. Coarse and dense, reversed and disordered, short and knitted brows indicate a fierce, obstinate disposition. Both brows extending beyond the eyes indicate wealth. Brows too short to cover the eyes mean little property; low brows pressing on the eyes poverty; high, raised brows a hard and fiery disposition; prominently positioned brows standing firmly up a bold disposition. Brow tails hanging to the eye corners mean weakness; brows crossing one another poverty and meagerness. Reverse-growing hairs are unfavorable and harmful to wife and sons. Raised bone ridges at the brows mean fierceness and many obstructions in fate. Dark moles there indicate intelligence, rank, worth and ability. Brows set high in the middle of the forehead mean great rank. White fine hairs among them mean longevity. Straight lines there mean wealth and rank; many transverse lines poverty and hardship. Gaps in brows mean deceit; brows so sparse as to seem absent much cunning. The song formulas state: high, refined brows mean power and substantial stipend; long, drooping brows unquestioned longevity; moist brows are an official sign, making office easy to obtain. Joined, indistinguishable brows mean early death. Brows bent like a horn bow mean a nature excessively gentle and, in the source's gendered judgment, unlike a man. Crescent brows mean intelligence beyond others. Dense brows hanging like silk mean sexual greed and lack of integrity; silkworm-moth curves attraction to beauty. Brows longer than the eyes mean loyalty and uprightness in office; shorter than the eyes an isolated disposition. Crossing and slanting brow heads mean brothers divide the household. Fine, close, rising brows mean worth or rank. Brow corners extending into the temples mean intelligence and excellence. Whorled hairs throughout both brows mean brothers of one womb. Swaying brows mean few sons and many daughters. Covered, upturned, high or straight brows all mean one can hold a pure and distinguished office. Broken lines in the brows mean frequent hardship. The explanation repeats: brows are a person's Purple Qi Star. High ridges, sparseness, the source's clear-and-splashing wording, and refinement mean lifelong standing above others, fine reputation, office as a court minister and a flourishing name. Lacquer-like, thick brows mean poverty and low station; reversed growth an even more miserable situation. The closing long-tai/passing-ninety phrase is followed here by lifelong worry, lack of clothing and food. Text note: Long-tai is unclear in this copy. Its favorable longevity placement in the verse and its troubled closing context in the explanation are both retained. All supplied lists and the repeated explanation remain; the text's moral, sex and fate claims are historical. Interlaced Brows The heading predicts poverty and low station, with one or two brothers. Verse: These brows are most disliked, indicating great adversity; Middle age and the final ruler fall within years of danger. Household ruin implicates elder and younger brothers; Father is in the east, mother in the west. Yellow, Thin Brows The heading predicts ruin and death away from home: harm to brothers, and death in another region. Verse: Brows short, loose and scattered, the eyes also long; Early wealth is an empty show of abundance. Though the facial region is good, advancement does not last; Dim spirit and turbid qi end in death away from home. Eight-Character Brows The heading predicts solitude and longevity: no brothers, but possession of wealth. Verse: Sparse at the heads, scattered at the tails, concealing Jian Gate; A late wife and children slipping away make early advancement difficult. Only in later years do wife or concubines bear a son; The principal wife does not give birth, indicating solitude. Note: Children slipping away follows the supplied wording without specifying an event. Willow-Leaf Brows The heading predicts advancement, with three or four brothers. Verse: Coarse brows carrying turbidity, yet clarity within that turbidity; Friends loyal and trustworthy, ranked persons close. Affection among close kin is distant, sons born late; Advancement must come, making the name illustrious. Note: The coarse-brow description is retained despite the Willow-Leaf heading. Brows Clear at the Front The heading gives three or four brothers. Verse: Brows clear, tails scattered, yet clarity within the scattering; Early accomplishment and wealth are ordinary. In middle and later years, name and gain are fulfilled; The supplied harvest-and-distinction wording brings glory to the household. Ghost Brows The heading associates these brows with robbers and thieves and predicts adversity, with three or four brothers. Verse: Coarse brows pressing upon the eyes mean a heart without goodness; Pretended benevolence and duty conceal poisonous schemes. Untouched by any of the many livelihoods, The person spends life constantly thinking of theft. Note: These are the historical text's appearance-based moral accusations. Broom Brows The heading predicts fortune and longevity, with seven or eight brothers; its parenthesis also predicts depletion and dispersal. Verse: Clear at the front and sparse behind, the brows scatter apart; Brothers lack affection and deceive one another at heart. One or two within the household have no descendants; In old age wealth is insufficient. Note: The favorable heading and adverse verse both follow the supplied copy. Arhat Brows The heading predicts late sons and daughters-in-law, with three brothers. Verse: Sparse at the heads, scattered at the tails, pressing upon Jian Gate; Into old age, several marriages still find no completion. Wealth throughout life suffices for one's wishes; For son and daughter-in-law one ultimately relies on an adopted child. Sword Brows The heading gives four or five brothers. Verse: Brows like forests, refined and long; Power, purpose and insight assist king or emperor. Even if poor, before long pure distinction is attained; Descendants in their successive ranks display long life and health. Clear, Refined Brows The heading gives five or six brothers. Verse: Refined brows, curved and long, tails somewhat sparse; Soaring advancement brings homage at the imperial capital. Glory and honor, with affection among brothers all harmonious; Friendship and mutual understanding remain as at the beginning. Sparse, Scattered Brows The heading predicts wealth filling and being depleted, with one or two brothers; gathering and dispersal are inconstant. Verse: Throughout life wealth often rises and falls; There is enough for one's use, yet nothing left over. Harmony outside, indifference within, as though there were nothing; The source's beginning-and-end phrase describes empty fullness and further unease. Broad-Saber Brows The heading predicts fierceness and violence, with two or three brothers described as like snakes and mice. Verse: Coarse brows and an adverse baleful form mean a treacherous, dangerous heart; At one meeting, a show of harmonious feeling is made. Obstinate and ruthless, the disposition fierce and violent; Execution under the law cannot be escaped, and life is lost. Note: These character and criminal-fate claims belong to historical physiognomy. Dragon Brows The heading predicts great rank, with twelve brothers of rank. Verse: Refined, curving brows, the fine hairs also sparse; Six or seven in the goose-file of brothers bow at the vermilion steps. Parents are long-lived, all joined in the source's cassia phrase; Outstanding beyond the crowd, a marvel under Heaven. Note: Twelve in the heading and six or seven in the verse are both retained; the cassia phrase is not expanded into an invented list of honors. Lion Brows The heading gives four or five brothers. Verse: Coarse, turbid brow hairs favor height and fullness; This form must attain advancement late. The Three Delays, combined with a lion bodily form, Bring wealth, rank and glory, shining still more in old age. Note: This record names but does not explain the Three Delays. Short, Refined Brows The heading gives one or two brothers. Verse: Refined, short brows mean long and lofty years; Neighboring fragrance and twin cassias describe outstanding, bold excellence. Throughout life, lack of advancement is followed by an unclear hard-to-add-restraint phrase; Loyal, filial, benevolent and compassionate, purpose is also high. Note: The cassia image and damaged third line are retained without guessing a number of sons or a career outcome. Spiral-Shell Brows The heading predicts harm involving brothers. Verse: Spiral-shell brows are rare in the world; For power and authority, obtaining them is fitting. For ordinary people they are all unfavorable; For heroes and military office, they answer Heaven's subtle workings. Crescent Brows The heading gives six or seven brothers. Verse: Clear brows and refined eyes are most favorable; Also favored are brow hairs brushing Heavenly Storehouse. Brothers harmonious like cherry blossoms, all wealthy and ranked; In future years, examination success brings homage at court. Large, Short Brows The heading gives eight or nine brothers. Verse: Short and refined, with clear hairs and tails a little yellow; Upright brow heads are most favorable. All wealth comes and goes, matched with stores at home; Sons outstanding, wife harmonious, the goose-file of brothers strong. Note: The wealth wording follows this copy rather than a silently substituted character. Single-Stroke Brows The heading gives no brothers. Verse: Clear fine hairs, heads and tails alike forming a canopy; Praiseworthy wealth and rank, with long and lofty years. Advancement in youth and early accomplishment; Husband and wife honor one another until white-haired. Tiger Brows The heading gives three or four brothers. Verse: These brows are coarse and turbid, yet imposing; Throughout life courage and purpose find expression. If not wealthy, great rank can ultimately be attained; Long years and crane-like longevity, with brothers in goose-file. Reclining-Silkworm Brows The heading gives four or five brothers. Verse: Curving brows with refinement mean a heart inclined to cleverness; The supplied turning-opportunity/intervening-rest phrase is still more pleasing. In early years the brow heads may suitably be coarse; The goose-file of brothers nevertheless seems unwilling to be close. Note: The second line is irregular, and the negative brotherhood wording is retained. Small Broom Brows The heading gives six or seven brothers. Verse: Seemingly dense and large, yet the fine hairs are not coarse; They evenly brush Heavenly Storehouse, the tails not withered. Brothers turn against affection and separate north and south; Punitive harm to close kin cannot be remedied. Interrupted Brows The heading gives two or three brothers. Verse: Yellowish or pale, with grooved lines; Brothers lack affinity and must suffer harm. Wealth advances and retreats, often rising and falling; First the father is harmed, then the mother.

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