What Facial Features Reveal About Disease and Survival

Traditional Chinese physiognomy is said to not only forecast a person’s fortune and misfortune, but also offer insights into illness and matters of life and death. The following are traditional physiognomic teachings on disease and mortality, for reference:

How to tell if someone has heart issues? Tightly knitted brows, a narrow nasal bridge, and a dark blue-black complexion are taken to indicate heart pain and emotional distress.

How to tell if someone has liver issues? Red eyes, prominent neck veins, and a dry, parched complexion are seen as signs of anger and frustration.

How to tell if someone has spleen issues? A sallow, thin face, low vitality, and pale lips are said to point to dampness and phlegm.

How to tell if someone has lung issues? Red cheeks suggest lung heat, while darkened cheeks suggest cold; coughing blood and asthma may occur, so observe the cheeks for signs of heat or cold.

How to tell if someone has kidney issues? Dark ears, a dim forehead, and a dull facial tone call for replenishing water and tempering fire; the eyes may appear lackluster.

How to tell if someone is near death? A low nasal bridge and a dark yellow face—even if slightly pale—together with deep-set eyes and a collapsed bridge are taken as signs of loneliness and chill.

How to tell if someone has limb injuries? A damaged nasal bridge with labored breathing; kidney deficiency and weak sinews point to severe fire damage, and injuries may involve the nasal bones.

How to tell if someone has mixed-color illnesses? Dim, unclear eyes, thick brows, and obscured vision indicate mixed-color injury and cold.

How to tell if someone has chronic cold? A muddied face with a dark yellow tone: black points to cold, yellow to heat; phlegm is distinguished by yellowed eyes.

How to tell if someone has phlegm issues? Bulging, yellowed eyes with white showing below; in severe cases, madness may ensue, and the phlegm may stem from lung heat.

How to tell if someone has nocturnal emissions? A yellow-green skin tone, sometimes reddened like grease; weak fire and phlegm may also lead to emissions.

How to tell if someone has heart pain? A lowered head, furrowed brows, and a bluish nasal bridge; multiple marks suggest deep depression, with a dark, aching heart.

How to tell if someone has excess heat? Red cheeks indicate vigorous blood; sparse hair, exposed tendons, and visible bones suggest heat scorching the muscles and bones.

How to tell if someone has long-standing cold? Heavy facial hair obscures clarity; blackness warns against inadequate food intake, and choking on food may occur in old age.

How to tell if someone may vomit blood? A thick, bony nasal bridge, a bluish face, and flushed cheekbones; guard against bleeding even if vomiting or bleeding has not yet occurred.

How to tell if someone has tuberculosis? Tight skin, urgent eyes, a thin frame with shortness of breath, a narrow nose, and a pointed chin (with the gums exposed above the teeth).

How to tell if someone is losing blood? Yellow, lackluster skin; a reddish beard and early hair loss—at such times, blood loss becomes evident.

How to tell if someone has heat-induced vomiting? A darkened forehead and ears, scorched skin; cracked lips with a purple-black hue indicate this; a lackluster face suggests imbalance.

How to tell if someone has redness after defecation? There is darkness between the years of life; eating dry foods will produce blood, and hemorrhoids with blood in the stool are common.

How to tell if someone has kidney water deficiency? Darkness under the eyes suggests youthful indulgence; deep-set, dark, and dry eyes are signs.

How to tell if someone has asthma? Darkened cheeks with many black spots indicate lung cold; check for correspondingly black lips.

How to tell if someone has frequent nosebleeds? A bright, fiery nasal bridge; guard against sores, and be aware that pain may arise from various ailments.

How to tell if someone has excessive night sweats? A pale face, bluish lips, and light yellow hair; weak spleen and liver show depleted vitality; the stomach should be strengthened.

How to tell if someone has trembling hands and feet? Stiffness that makes finger flexion difficult; blood fails to nourish the tendons, leading to this condition, especially in old age.

How to tell if someone has excessive phlegm? Puffiness and yellowing under the eyes; swollen flesh, thick phlegm, and stagnant qi—all warrant serious attention.

How to tell if someone has insufficient qi? Pale, lackluster skin that may be puffy or thin indicates true weakness of qi.

How to tell if someone has many heat-related illnesses? A red face, scorched hair, and general dryness; cracked lips and mouth sores are common, with heat in the skin and blood as well.

How to tell if someone has yin deficiency? A blue-black face with dry skin; black lips and thin flesh with dark, dim eyes signal yin deficiency and a short life.

How to tell if someone has lumps? A thin body with exposed tendons and a dark red face; dark brows and a small nasal bridge indicate liver stagnation or illness.

How to tell if someone has yang deficiency? A smoke-darkened face; the three yangs are sunken and the eyes lack luster—signs of contracting yang and kidney disease.

How to tell if someone is about to die? A dark mouth and fixed, unmoving eyes indicate that death is near.

How to tell if someone might revive? Though gravely ill, clear, sparkling eyes indicate vitality, with the three yangs bright.

How to tell if someone is about to fall ill? A darkened nasal bridge signals impending disaster; if birds gather in great numbers, it is a sign of a dark fate.

How to tell if a woman has irregular menstruation? Disheveled brows signal heat; red cheeks and forehead, while pale lips and a bluish face point to cold.

How to tell if a woman has white discharge? A yellow-white, dull complexion suggests this; it may lead to excessive bleeding with wasting; floating qi and weakness can bring on illness.

How to tell if a child is easily frightened? Dark ears and a tense head; unbalanced ears indicate loss of qi, with sudden shocks likely.

How to tell if someone has many sores? A heavy skull with insufficient flesh; excessive heat in the skull points to many sores and skin troubles.

Summary of Secrets

Kidney deficiency darkens the eyes; lung heat reddens the cheeks; liver excess reddens the brows; cold darkens the cheeks; excessive wind whitens the eyes.

Phlegm and dampness yellow the eyes; excess phlegm swells the eyes; a cold stomach blues the lips; kidney deficiency blackens the ears; excess dampness yellows the skin.

Liver dryness dries the skin and hair; blood heat reddens eyes and cheeks; mixed colors dim the eyes; limb injuries darken the moons; sharp blood foretells a short life.

Emissions pale the face yellow; qi deficiency yellows and swells the face; excess heat blues the lips; severe pain furrows the brows; a dark face shows a blue moon.

Sudden illness calls for calm; a red face signals heat; a dark forehead needs hydration; white lips point to cold; red cheeks call for cleansing the lungs.

Excess fat calls for resolving phlegm; the thin tend to have excess liver fire; guard against weakness; avoid choking; treat dry blood.

Yellow-white faces suggest leakage; abdominal pain shows pale lips; a dark face warns of looming illness; bulging eyes point to madness; the thin show exposed tendons.

A haggard look suggests tuberculosis; a blue face hints at ghostly pallor; no appetite shows a blue mouth; a dark nose foretells death.

Excess phlegm produces a shiny face, while shortness of breath signals death at hand.