The Essence of Physiognomy: Liu Heng's Insights on How Small and Sparse Teeth Indicate Poverty or Low Status

Ancient people understood the world through the concepts of "Yin and Yang" (Liu Heng's note: Yin and Yang represent time as Yang and matter as Yin) and the "Three Powers" (Liu Heng's note: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity as the Three Powers, signifying time, matter, and the integration of time and matter, which includes humans, animals, and plants). Physiognomy categorizes the face into Yin and Yang, with the left side representing Yang and the right side representing Yin. The upper part of the face corresponds to Heaven, the middle to Humanity, and the lower part to Earth.

White Teeth: A Gentleman and Scholar

Teeth (Liu Heng's note: Teeth are considered as sprouts of the kidneys, reflecting kidney vitality, which governs wisdom) that are strong indicate healthy and abundant kidney energy. White teeth suggest a robust and well-functioning kidney, pointing to high intelligence in individuals, making them capable of deeply learning cultural knowledge and becoming scholars and Confucianists.

Clear Distinction in Younger Generations: Sparse Teeth

Sparse teeth are indicative of liver energy issues, and in everyday life, individuals with this trait often focus on themselves, overlooking the needs of others. Hence, people with sparse teeth are commonly seen as self-centered.

Small and Sparse Teeth: Either Poor or Lowly

Individuals with small and sparse teeth (Liu Heng's note: Teeth, which reflect kidney vitality governing wisdom) signal insufficient innate kidney energy, representing lower inherent intelligence. They often struggle to learn profound cultural knowledge, making it challenging to achieve significant accomplishments in life, frequently leading to a modest lifestyle of simple, everyday trades.

Teeth are the Remnants of Bone

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidneys govern bones and nourish the marrow, which also fills the brain. Teeth are viewed as residual energy of the bones, so observing them can provide insights into a person's bone health and kidney energy.

Long Teeth: A Sign of Longevity

"Long teeth" in this context refer to their strength, density, whiteness, and closeness, not their length. These traits indicate abundant innate kidney energy, which correlates with longevity; thus, having good teeth is associated with a long life.

Strong Teeth: A Sign of Wealth

Teeth that are strong, dense, and white reflect robust bone health and ample kidney energy. As the kidneys govern wisdom, individuals with such teeth are likely to possess high intelligence and a strong memory, enabling them to acquire deep cultural knowledge and excel in life.

Teeth Like Pomegranate Seeds: Great Wealth

Teeth that are strong, densely packed, and full, with a firm bite, symbolize wisdom and resilience in endeavors, ensuring their success.

Teeth Like Soybeans: Great Nobility

Teeth with a typical shovel-shaped appearance, where the upper teeth rest over the lower teeth, characterized by whiteness and density alongside strong gums, indicate abundant kidney energy and wisdom, leading to future wealth and nobility.

Red Lips and White Teeth: Never a Beggar

A face with rosy lips signifies healthy stomach energy, which governs nourishment after birth and represents material wealth. When combined with white and strong teeth, which indicate abundant innate kidney energy and intelligence, such a face is associated with wealth and nobility.

Mouth Wide Open and Closed Small: A Sign of Wealth

The expression "mouth wide open and closed small" refers to strong, well-formed lips with a natural color, indicating wealth and pleasure. In contrast, lips that are loose and do not close properly, leading to indiscriminate speech, suggest a life of ruin.

Smile Without Showing Teeth: A Sign of Wisdom

Teeth are seen as an aspect of concealment; showing gums while smiling indicates weak kidney energy. On the other hand, those who smile without revealing their teeth are thought to preserve their kidney energy, which reflects sufficient kidney vitality and high intelligence, helping them become cultivated individuals.

Mouth Always Open: Short Life

If a person's lips do not close properly and their mouth remains open, it indicates a deficiency in postnatal spleen and stomach energy, implying a shorter lifespan.

Eating Like Choking: Unfortunate Circumstances

Consistently finding difficulty swallowing while eating suggests liver energy issues, which point to a lack of good fortune in one's social life.

Constantly Spitting Phlegm: Riches Followed by Poverty

If a person has no phlegm yet habitually spits frequently, it is considered a waste of kidney energy and can lead to kidney deficiency. Without kidney energy and wisdom, achieving success becomes difficult.

Uneven Mouth and Thin Lips: Often Faces Criticism

A crooked mouth, with lips that don't close tightly and are thin, suggests not only indiscriminate speech but also a tendency to cause trouble. Such individuals often lack principles and reliability, which can result in facing negative consequences due to their own words.

Breath Like Blowing Fire: A Life of Poverty

Individuals with small, protruding mouths, often seen in many girls who pout, tend to have what is known as a "blowing fire" mouth. Maintaining this expression for too long can signify a life of poverty, misfortune, and loss of savings and property.