🔥 1. The Five Element Face Types (五行面相)
Every face can be classified by its dominant element. This determines baseline personality, career aptitude, health vulnerabilities, and compatibility with others. Most people are mixed types — identify the primary and secondary elements for nuanced reading.
木形面 (Mù Xíng Miàn) — Wood Face
Shape: Long, rectangular, narrow. The face is taller than it is wide, with a high forehead and elongated chin.
Key Features:
- Prominent forehead, often with visible veins at temples
- Long, straight nose — may appear slightly too large for face width
- Thin or angular eyebrows, often darker than hair color
- Lean cheeks with visible bone structure
- Narrow, elongated jaw
Personality: Principled, ambitious, intellectual. Strong sense of justice. Growth-oriented — always learning and expanding. Can be rigid, inflexible, overly idealistic.
Career Strengths: Education, law, government, writing, planning, architecture, management
Health Vulnerabilities: Liver, gallbladder, tendons, eyes, nervous system. Prone to stress-headaches, muscular tension, insomnia from overthinking.
Ideal Partners: Water faces (nourish), Fire faces (express their energy). Avoid: Metal faces (cutting conflict).
Classical Note: "木形人面長而瘦，色青而主仁" — Wood face is long and lean, complexion greenish, governed by benevolence.
火形面 (Huǒ Xíng Miàn) — Fire Face
Shape: Triangular or diamond-shaped. Wider at cheekbones, narrowing at forehead and chin. Often described as "pointed" at top and bottom.
Key Features:
- Pointed or narrow chin (the "flame tip")
- Wide, prominent cheekbones
- Bright, expressive, often reddish-toned eyes
- Thin, sharp eyebrows — sometimes upward-angled
- Reddish complexion, especially at nose tip and cheeks
Personality: Passionate, charismatic, quick-witted. Natural performers and leaders. Generous but impulsive. Prone to emotional intensity, jealousy, and burnout.
Career Strengths: Entertainment, sales, marketing, politics, public speaking, media, spiritual teaching
Health Vulnerabilities: Heart, blood circulation, small intestine, tongue. Prone to cardiovascular issues, insomnia from emotional turbulence, skin inflammation.
Ideal Partners: Wood faces (fuel their fire appropriately), Earth faces (stabilize them). Avoid: Water faces (constant clash).
Classical Note: "火形人面上尖下闊，色赤而主禮" — Fire face is pointed above and broad below, complexion reddish, governed by propriety.
土形面 (Tǔ Xíng Miàn) — Earth Face
Shape: Square or round-square. Nearly equal in width and height. Full, fleshy, solid. The most "grounded" of all face types.
Key Features:
- Wide, square jaw with prominent mandible
- Thick, fleshy nose — the "wealth mountain"
- Full cheeks with prominent flesh pads
- Thick, straight eyebrows with dense hair
- Yellowish or warm-toned complexion, even skin
- Large, thick earlobes
Personality: Reliable, patient, methodical. Strong loyalty and trustworthiness. Excellent at accumulating wealth and maintaining stability. Can be stubborn, slow to change, materialistic.
Career Strengths: Real estate, agriculture, banking, food industry, construction, administration, human resources
Health Vulnerabilities: Spleen, stomach, muscles, mouth. Prone to digestive issues, weight gain, diabetes, worry-related conditions.
Ideal Partners: Fire faces (warm their earth), Metal faces (earth produces metal — productive relationship). Avoid: Wood faces (wood controls earth).
Classical Note: "土形人面方而厚，色黃而主信" — Earth face is square and thick, complexion yellowish, governed by trustworthiness.
金形面 (Jīn Xíng Miàn) — Metal Face
Shape: Round or oval with clear, defined features. Clean lines, as if "sculpted." Features are proportional and symmetrical.
Key Features:
- Round forehead, often high and smooth
- Clear, bright eyes — penetrating gaze
- Well-defined, symmetrical eyebrows
- Straight, well-proportioned nose
- Pale or whitish complexion, clear skin
- Small, well-formed mouth with thin, defined lips
Personality: Decisive, principled, disciplined. Strong sense of justice and order. Excellent at cutting through complexity. Can be cold, judgmental, inflexible, lonely.
Career Strengths: Military, law enforcement, surgery, finance, technology, engineering, judiciary
Health Vulnerabilities: Lungs, large intestine, skin, nose. Prone to respiratory issues, skin conditions, grief-related illness, autoimmune disorders.
Ideal Partners: Earth faces (earth produces metal — nurturing). Water faces (metal produces water — productive). Avoid: Fire faces (fire melts metal).
Classical Note: "金形人面圓而白，聲清而主義" — Metal face is round and white, voice clear, governed by righteousness.
水形面 (Shuǐ Xíng Miàn) — Water Face
Shape: Round, full, soft. Wider at the bottom than the top, with fleshy or plump features. Features tend to be "soft" and flowing rather than angular.
Key Features:
- Round, full face with soft contours
- Deep-set or "watery" eyes — often appears thoughtful or dreamy
- Thick, curving eyebrows
- Wide, fleshy nose with rounded tip
- Full, prominent lips
- Dark or bluish-black complexion undertone
- Double chin or soft jawline
Personality: Intelligent, adaptable, persuasive. Excellent communicators and networkers. Fluid and resourceful. Can be manipulative, indecisive, emotionally unpredictable, secretive.
Career Strengths: Trade, shipping, travel, diplomacy, intelligence, psychology, art, music, nightlife industries
Health Vulnerabilities: Kidneys, bladder, reproductive system, bones, ears. Prone to urinary issues, lower back pain, hearing problems, fear-related conditions.
Ideal Partners: Metal faces (metal produces water — nurturing). Wood faces (water produces wood — productive, purposeful). Avoid: Earth faces (earth dams water).
Classical Note: "水形人面圓而黑，肥大而主智" — Water face is round and dark, plump, governed by wisdom.
🔄 Mixed Element Types (兼形)
Most faces combine two elements. The dominant element governs the overall life pattern ; the secondary element governs specific talents and vulnerabilities :
| Combination | Reading | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Wood + Fire | Ambitious visionary. Productive cycle. Excellent for leadership. | Long face with pointed chin and bright eyes |
| Fire + Earth | Charismatic builder. Good at transforming ideas into tangible results. | Triangular face with fleshy cheeks |
| Earth + Metal | Disciplined accumulator. Excellent financial acumen, conservative strategy. | Square face with round forehead |
| Metal + Water | Strategic thinker. Combines precision with adaptability. Intelligence-sector talent. | Round face, clear eyes, pale complexion |
| Water + Wood | Creative intellectual. Artistic with philosophical depth. Teaching talent. | Round-long face, watery eyes |
| Wood + Metal | Conflicted: idealism vs. pragmatism. Internal tension produces dynamism or anxiety. | Long face with sharp features |
| Fire + Water | Conflicted: passion vs. caution. Emotional volatility. Extreme highs and lows. | Pointed chin with watery eyes |
