20 Chinese Face Reading Terms, with Pinyin and Characters
Learn the core vocabulary of Chinese face reading (面相): 20 essential terms with characters, pinyin and plain-English explanations.
Reading about Chinese face reading in English often means meeting the same handful of Chinese words again and again. Knowing them makes charts, books and our own reports much easier to follow. Here are twenty essentials, grouped by layer.
The big picture
- 面相 (miàn xiàng) — face reading; literally "face appearance".
- 相术 (xiàng shù) — the art of physiognomy in general.
- 五官 (wǔ guān) — the five features, also called the five officers.
- 三停 (sān tíng) — the three horizontal sections of the face.
- 十二宫 (shí èr gōng) — the twelve palaces.
- 三才 (sān cái) — Heaven, Humanity and Earth, mapped onto the three sections.
The five features
- 眉 (méi) — eyebrows, the Longevity Officer (保寿官).
- 眼 (yǎn) — eyes, the Inspecting Officer (监察官).
- 鼻 (bí) — nose, the Judging Officer (审辨官).
- 口 (kǒu) — mouth, the Speaking Officer (出纳官).
- 耳 (ěr) — ears, the Listening Officer (采听官).
The three sections
- 上停 (shàng tíng) — upper section, hairline to brow.
- 中停 (zhōng tíng) — middle section, brow to the base of the nose.
- 下停 (xià tíng) — lower section, base of the nose to chin.
Key palaces and points
- 命宫 (mìng gōng) — the Life Palace, between the eyebrows.
- 印堂 (yìn táng) — the point between the eyebrows where the Life Palace sits.
- 山根 (shān gēn) — the "mountain root", the bridge of the nose between the eyes.
- 财帛宫 (cái bó gōng) — the Wealth Palace, on the nose.
- 官禄宫 (guān lù gōng) — the Career Palace, at the center of the forehead.
- 福德宫 (fú dé gōng) — the Fortune Palace, above the outer ends of the eyebrows.
A note on translation
Many of these terms have no perfect English equivalent. "Palace" for 宫 is the conventional translation, but the idea is closer to "area" or "station" on a map. Officer titles are likewise traditional names, not job descriptions.
We present these words as vocabulary of a cultural tradition. They describe how the map was built and named, not facts about any person's life.
Keep learning
- The full glossary has every palace and section.
- How to read a Chinese face reading chart shows where each term sits.
- See the terms on your own photo with a free preview.
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