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Chapter 64 of 110
柳庄神相
Teeth are born from the surplus energy of bones, symbolizing a person's lifelong fortune and blessings. Teeth are considered best when they are neat, thick, and broad. The upper teeth connect with the Sun Meridian and belong to the Yang meridian; the lower teeth connect with the lower back and belong to the Kidney meridian. Therefore, long teeth indicate longevity, sparse teeth indicate early death, short teeth indicate dullness, and white, neat teeth like beautiful jade indicate divine blessings of fortune. Teeth that are round, small, and uneven mostly belong to poor people. The two central front teeth are called the "main gate." If they are neat and broad, they indicate loyalty and filial piety; if crooked, small, and slender, they indicate a lack of integrity and virtue.
For women, slightly yellow, broad, and large teeth are considered best. For men, having thirty-four teeth indicates honor; thirty-two teeth also indicate fortune and longevity; thirty teeth are average; and twenty-eight teeth indicate a shorter lifespan.
Teeth are also known as the "Inner Academy." The most important qualities are neatness, whiteness, breadth, and thickness. Only with such teeth can a person be regarded as scholarly.
This chapter is grounded in the theory that "teeth are the surplus of bone," treating teeth as an external manifestation of kidney qi and bone structure, and from this, deriving correlations between tooth shape, number, color, and lifespan, intelligence, wealth, loyalty, and integrity. The core logic is: teeth are the external indicator of kidney qi. When kidney qi is sufficient, teeth are firm and long; when kidney qi is deficient, teeth are sparse and short. It also links the neatness of front teeth to moral character, reflecting the phrenology-typical kind of thinking that "physiological features are moralized."
From a modern medical perspective, the development, alignment, and health of teeth can indeed reflect an individual's nutritional status, genetic background, and overall health. For example, malnutrition or severe illness in childhood may lead to enamel hypoplasia. Premature tooth loss is often related to systemic conditions like periodontitis, osteoporosis, and diabetes. However, directly correlating the number of teeth—such as thirty-four, thirty-two, thirty, or twenty-eight—to status, nobility, and longevity lacks scientific basis. The normal number of permanent teeth in humans ranges from 28 to 32, and the number of wisdom teeth varies greatly. Thirty-four teeth are mostly supernumerary teeth or observation errors from ancient times and should not be used as indicators of destiny.
The statement that "upper teeth connect to the Sun meridian and lower teeth connect to the Kidney meridian" derives from traditional Chinese medicine's meridian and visceral manifestation theories. While modern anatomy does not directly support linear pathways between teeth and these meridians, the idea that "kidneys govern bones, and teeth are the surplus of bone" can serve as a supplementary perspective for overall health observation: loose or prematurely lost teeth can sometimes signal periodontal health issues or declining bone density, warranting timely medical examination.
Directly linking "small front teeth with a lack of integrity" is an over-extrapolation. In modern psychology, the "halo effect" shows that people tend to form more positive evaluations of a person's character and ability because of neat and beautiful teeth. However, this does not mean teeth themselves determine moral character.
"Teeth are the surplus of bone" embodies the ancient Chinese holistic view of the "human body as a small universe": the local reflects the whole, and physical traits can mirror social destiny. This analogical thinking is widespread in traditional Chinese medicine and physiognomy, and it carries cultural and aesthetic value. However, while there is a correlation between teeth and health—and health can influence the quality of life and career performance—it cannot be reversed to claim that tooth morphology directly determines rank or wealth. A more reasonable interpretation of the so-called "Inner Academy" is that oral health, clarity of speech, and confident presentation may indirectly affect learning and social performance, rather than teeth themselves endowing erudition.