Mian Xiang — The 12 Palaces in Detail (面相十二宮詳解)
Each of the twelve facial palaces has precise anatomical location, auspicious and inauspicious features, and specific diagnostic applications for the Mian Xiang practitioner.
1. Life Palace (命宮 — Yin Tang 印堂)
Location: The space between the eyebrows (Seal Hall). Ideal features: Wide, clear, smooth, with no vertical lines or moles. A wide Yin Tang indicates openness, good fortune, and clear thinking. Issues: Very narrow Yin Tang indicates narrow-mindedness or poor fortune. Vertical lines (懸針紋) indicate stubbornness or emotional pain.
2. Career Palace (官祿宮)
Location: The central forehead area. Ideal features: High, broad, smooth, with no interrupting marks. A well-proportioned forehead indicates natural authority and career achievement. Issues: Low or severely lined forehead indicates career obstacles and poor relations with authority.
3. Marriage/Spouse Palace (妻妾宮)
Location: Outer eye corners (Fish Tail area — 魚尾), extending 1–1.5cm toward the temples. Ideal features: Smooth, plump, with slight upward tilt. Auspicious signs: Upward-tilting corners indicate supportive partner and harmonious marriage. Inauspicious signs: Crow's feet pattern before age 30 indicates marital difficulties. Downward-tilting corners indicate unsupportive or unavailable partners.
4. Children Palace (子女宮)
Location: Directly below the eyes, on the cheekbone area. Ideal features: Plump and bright, no dark circles or marks. Dark or sunken areas here indicate complications with children, fertility issues, or poor relationship with subordinates.
5. Wealth Palace (財帛宮)
Location: The nose — specifically the nose tip (準頭) and nose wings (鼻翼). Ideal features: Rounded, fleshy tip; closed, non-flared nostrils. A fleshy nose tip with closed nostrils indicates wealth accumulation and financial prudence. Flared nostrils indicate inability to save money — income flows out as quickly as it comes in.
Five Elements Face Types
Classical Mian Xiang categorizes faces by Five Element dominance:
- Wood Face (木形): Oblong, thin, strong bone structure. Intellectual, hardworking, idealistic.
- Fire Face (火形): Pointed chin, sharp features. Energetic, passionate, but potentially short-tempered.
- Earth Face (土形): Square, full, solid. Stable, reliable, conservative.
- Metal Face (金形): Square jaw, prominent cheekbones, angular. Determined, persistent, potentially rigid.
- Water Face (水形): Round, full, soft features. Intelligent, adaptable, diplomatic.