Decoding Facial Features by Liu Heng: Do Thick Lips Signal Loyalty and Thin Lips Deceit?
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A gentleman's greatest virtue lies in kindness to others. However, demonstrating kindness blindly may lead to foolish benevolence, reminiscent of Dong Guo, a character from a fable. Confucius wisely stated, "Repay kindness with kindness, and grievances with justice." This means we should show gratitude to those who assist us. For those who repay kindness with malice, we must act according to our principles, either by keeping our distance or treating them with respect from afar. Essentially, this means avoiding the petty and befriending the noble. A gentleman is open and generous, while a petty person is ever anxious. By carefully observing people's expressions, we can predict their actions, avert disasters, and prevent issues before they arise.
1. Thin lips and dense teeth indicate clarity in communication, while thick lips and large teeth suggest clumsiness in speech.
Lips that are thin and blade-like, coupled with sparse teeth, indicate someone who speaks recklessly and often lies. Liu Heng observes: "Individuals with large mouths and thin lips have a penchant for gossip." Conversely, thin lips and tightly packed teeth signify a person who communicates clearly and discerns between kindness and resentment. A small mouth with a protruding upper lip, often called a "blowing fire mouth" in folk sayings, suggests a life of poverty and misfortune. Women with such features often find themselves alone and destitute. Thick lips resembling sausages and large front teeth indicate someone who is awkward in speech and lacks expressiveness.
2. Ears without folds suggest a family legacy of toil, while ears thin like paper portend great hardship.
The ears are considered the external openings of the kidneys, which govern willpower (memory). Liu Heng explains that "ears without folds" refer to protruding ears, whereas "thin" relates to small ears. Thick, large ears are associated with abundant kidney energy and wisdom, while thin, small ears indicate a lack of kidney energy and limited intelligence. Those with protruding ears often struggle to complete tasks, being indecisive and unaccomplished. In contrast, individuals with thick, large ears tend to deliberate before acting and are often seen as fortunate. Sharp, thin ears indicate a congenital deficiency in kidney energy; while large ears may suggest a promising future, thin, small ears point to a tendency to conform to the crowd.
3. A yellow complexion heralds impending trouble, while a sallow face suggests illness.
A waxy yellow skin tone, lacking in luster and vitality, signals a deficiency in the heart and spleen, leading to inadequate energy and blood flow. Liu Heng states that a yellowed complexion is indicative of financial strain and severed social ties, with potential disaster looming. Children with yellowish skin often experience heart and spleen deficiencies. Black represents the essence of kidney water, and yellow symbolizes the essence of spleen earth. Young individuals with a dark yellow complexion might suffer from liver and spleen deficiencies and should seek traditional Chinese medicine promptly.
4. Eyes like those of a mouse, but a heart like a tiger. Willow-leaf eyes are slender and smooth, reflecting sociability.
Eyes that resemble a mouse's, with a furtive gaze that suddenly fixes on others, reflect a heart as fierce as a tiger's. Liu Heng notes, "A person with no harmful intentions is like a tiger ready to pounce." Just as a tree wishes to be still but the wind keeps blowing, a gentleman knows not to stand under a precarious wall. It is prudent to maintain a respectful distance from unjust individuals to avoid harm. Thick, bushy eyebrows signal a fierce temperament, while straight, slender eyebrows suggest an individual skilled in discretion. Willow-leaf eyebrows indicate cleverness and finesse in handling situations, with those bearing sharp, long eyes often being wealthy, and those with slender eyes demonstrating wisdom, employing tactics without overtly revealing their intentions.
5. Thick lips suggest loyalty, whereas thin lips imply deceitfulness.
In physiognomy, the mouth is considered the "palace of speech." Liu Heng asserts that "speech" relates to verbal contracts and the place of self-restraint. Therefore, the characteristics of the mouth can reveal a person's loyalty or deceit. A large mouth with thick lips and tightly closed corners indicates loyalty and honesty; in contrast, a large mouth with thin lips and corners that don't close properly suggests duplicity and untrustworthiness.