Interpreting Facial Features with BaZi Analysis

From the perspective of physiognomy, the nose corresponds to the Wealth Palace, while the forehead corresponds to the Official Position Palace. Yet in real life, we often see lower-ranking officials with low foreheads, and wealthy businesspeople or tycoons with flat or small noses. Take former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as an example: his forehead is extremely narrow, and if we judged his prospects strictly by traditional Chinese physiognomy, he wouldn’t be considered prime ministerial material. Likewise, although Chen Tianqiao’s nose is relatively round and large, his broader face makes the nose appear somewhat short—another trait that traditional physiognomy would not typically associate with great wealth.

In fact, across the broader field of fate analysis, many factors are interconnected. For instance, a person’s facial features often correspond to their BaZi, and vice versa. There has not been a case of someone with a prosperous BaZi but a face suggesting poverty, nor someone with a full forehead, pronounced cheekbones, and a strong nose—traits of wealthy physiognomy—whose BaZi indicates great poverty. Applying select BaZi principles to physiognomy can clarify many puzzling issues related to facial features.

There are ten deities in BaZi: direct and indirect resource, direct and indirect officer, direct and indirect wealth, direct and indirect comparison, and direct and indirect food/injury. So how can we apply BaZi theory to physiognomy?

1. Determine the Five Elements of different facial features

The ears, chin, lips, and philtrum belong to water; the forehead and eyes belong to fire; hair and eyebrows belong to wood; the nose and cheekbones belong to earth; skin and teeth belong to metal.

2. Accurately identify the Five Elements of the subject's facial features

Generally, a long, narrow face is wood; a long, pointed, or thin face that is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom is fire; a large head with a sturdy body and strong nose and cheekbones is earth; a large head with a square face is metal; and a large head with a round face and a plump body is water. Once you’ve identified the subject’s Five Element facial type, you can then determine the corresponding attributes of their five senses and Five Mountains.

• If the subject is wood type, then the ears, chin, lips, and philtrum are their resource stars; the forehead and eyes are their food and injury stars; hair and eyebrows are their comparison stars; cheekbones and nose are their wealth stars; skin and teeth are their official stars.
• If the subject is fire type, then the ears, chin, lips, and philtrum are their official stars; the forehead and eyes are their comparison stars; hair and eyebrows are their resource stars; cheekbones and nose are their wealth stars; skin and teeth are their food and injury stars.
• If the subject is earth type, then the ears, chin, lips, and philtrum are their wealth stars; the forehead and eyes are their resource stars; hair and eyebrows are their official stars; cheekbones and nose are their comparison stars; skin and teeth are their food and injury stars.
• If the subject is metal type, then the ears, chin, lips, and philtrum are their food and injury stars; the forehead and eyes are their official stars; hair and eyebrows are their wealth stars; cheekbones and nose are their resource stars; skin and teeth are their comparison stars.
• If the subject is water type, then the ears, chin, lips, and philtrum are their comparison stars; the forehead and eyes are their wealth stars; hair and eyebrows are their food and injury stars; cheekbones and nose are their official stars; skin and teeth are their resource stars.

With these principles in mind, it becomes clear why many wealthy individuals may not have particularly impressive noses but do have favorable foreheads (the Official Position Palace) and chins (the Servant Palace). Many chairpersons are short and stocky, suggesting that water types account for a significant share of private-company leaders. For water types, the forehead and eyes represent wealth stars. In addition, a good chin (the comparison star) ensures ample noble helpers and friends in one’s career, echoing the saying “connections are wealth.”

Why was Shinzo Abe able to hold high office despite a weak Official Position Palace? His face is long and slender, narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, which corresponds to the fire element; for fire types, the ears, chin, and philtrum are the official stars. Why did Chen Tianqiao become a billionaire despite an unremarkable nose? His short, stocky build and round chin indicate a water type. For water types, the forehead and eyes are the wealth stars, and his features there are notably strong. The forehead also reflects early fortune, which helps explain his early success.