Physiognomy Basics — Reading Temperament and Fortune in the Face
Physiognomy is a traditional Eastern discipline that reads a person's temperament and the flow of their fortune from the shape of the face. Born of the old belief that 'the heart shows in the face,' physiognomy has long been used as wisdom for understanding and dealing with people.
What Is Physiognomy?
Physiognomy is a method of reading one's innate disposition and fortune through the shape of the face and body. Rather than simply judging good looks from bad, it reads a person's temperament and the grain of their life from the form, balance, and complexion of each part. Traditional physiognomy divides the face into several zones and judges the whole by combining what each part symbolizes.
The Three Zones (Samjeong) — The Face's Three Regions
The basic framework of physiognomy is the 'samjeong,' which divides the face into upper, middle, and lower parts. The upper zone, from the forehead to the eyebrows, is said to represent early-life fortune, wisdom, and the blessing of parents; the middle zone, from the eyebrows to the tip of the nose, represents midlife fortune, willpower, and wealth; and the lower zone, from below the nose to the chin, represents late-life fortune, affection, and abundance. A face in which the three zones are evenly balanced is regarded as a good one.
Reading the Features
Each part of the face carries its own symbolism as well. The forehead is said to represent wisdom and early fortune; the eyebrows, siblings and relationships and character; the eyes, the strength of the heart and spirit; the nose, wealth and pride and midlife fortune; the mouth, speech and abundance and will; and the ears, health and the blessings of youth. The eyes in particular, called 'the windows of the heart,' are held to be the most important part in physiognomy.
The Five Peaks and Balance
In physiognomy, the forehead, nose, chin, and the left and right cheekbones are likened to five mountains and called the 'five peaks' (oak). When these five summits are in harmonious balance with one another and none juts out too far or sinks too low, the energy is considered stable. The heart of physiognomy lies not in the merit or fault of any single part, but in how harmonious the whole is.
A Wise Attitude Toward Face Reading
An old saying holds that 'a good face is not as good as a good heart-face (simsang).' It means that however fine a face one is born with, one's frame of mind matters more. In fact, since expression and complexion change according to the heart and habits one lives by, physiognomy is less a fixed fate than a mirror reflecting who you are now. The right attitude is to take physiognomy not as a measure for judging others, but as a reference for looking back on oneself.
Physiognomy is an age-old wisdom for reading the temperament held in a face and understanding both yourself and others. If you are curious about your own face as read through the shapes of its seven parts, choose the form of each feature and see the traditional physiognomic reading for yourself.