Face Reading: What Your Face Says About You
Face reading (Chinese mian xiang, known in Thailand as ngo heng) is the art of reading character and fortune from the shape of the face and its features. It came to Thailand with Chinese communities and is still widely consulted for business partners, careers and relationships. Here are more than 200 traditional readings from horoall.com, arranged by feature.
Read a feature
- Face shape – round, square, oval, triangular, long and diamond faces.
- Forehead and hair – forehead height and shape, forehead lines, hairline and hair.
- Eyes and eyebrows – eye shape and position, eyelids, eye habits, eyebrows and eyelashes.
- Nose – size, shape, nostrils and the groove above the lip.
- Mouth, lips and teeth – mouth types, lips, the smile and teeth.
- Ears, cheeks and chin – ears, cheekbones, jaw, chin and beard.
- Body language – what your walk, posture, gaze and voice say about you.
The five features
Traditional face reading focuses on five features: the eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and ears. The Chinese word for this practice also recalls the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water), which are linked with face shapes. A reader never judges from one feature alone: the overall impression comes from combining all of them with the shape of the face.
The three zones of the face
Many face readers divide the face into three zones. The upper zone (forehead) relates to early life and intellect, the middle zone (eyebrows to the tip of the nose) to the middle years and career, and the lower zone (mouth and chin) to later life and home.
How to use these readings
Face reading is a traditional art for entertainment and self-reflection, not a way to judge people. Features change with age, health, weight and expression, and many readings describe tendencies that anyone can work on. Please never use face reading to decide whether to hire, trust or date someone.
Face reading FAQ
- Is face reading the same as Western physiognomy?
- They share the idea that appearance reflects character, but Chinese face reading has its own system of features, zones and elements. These pages follow the Chinese tradition as practised in Thailand.
- Which face is considered the most fortunate?
- Traditional texts admire a broad forehead, a straight and full nose, long thick earlobes and a well-shaped mouth, but a reader always looks at the face as a whole.
- Can my face reading change?
- Yes. Face readers say expressions, habits and lifestyle gradually shape the face, which is why the same person can read differently at different ages.