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Chapter 108 of 110
柳庄神相
In the physiognomy of men, there are forty-one ill-omened signs pertaining to the face and body. Whoever bears these signs is destined for a lifetime of poverty and hardship. Specifically:
The head should not be crooked, thin, or emaciated; the hair should not be coarse, stiff, or overly thick. The eyebrows should not droop at the tail; the ears should not have rims that flare outward like scattered petals. The eyes should not betray an exposed, piercing gleam; the bridge of the nose should not be sunken or thin. The canthus and the area beneath should not show protruding knots; the tip of the nose should not be sharp and pointed like a peak. The chin should not be sharp and fleshless; the nostrils should not be upturned and exposed to the sky. The cheekbones and the auxiliary areas should not be thin and lacking in presence; the philtrum should not bear stray lines encroaching upon it. The mouth should not gape open as if blowing air, unable to close naturally; the lower cheeks and jaw should not be sunken and hollow. The neck should not reveal protruding bones without flesh; the temples and hairline should not be overgrown with straggling hairs. The eyes should not slant downward with hollow sockets; the voice should not be low and feeble. The arms should not be spindly and thin; the palms should not be thin and fleshless. The fingers should not be short and crooked; the teeth should not be sparse and small. The gait should not sway like a snake, lacking rootedness; the voice should not be faint and tinged with sorrow. The spirit should not be short and insufficient; the complexion should not appear oily and slick. The breath should not be coarse and turbid; the flesh should not be puffy and flabby. The flesh also should not be stiff and inelastic; the blood tone should not be sluggish and murky. The hair should not be split and ragged like scattered flowers; the navel should not droop downward.
[Translator's note: The original title reads "forty-one," but the extant entries number thirty-two in total. It is suspected that some passages are missing, or that "forty-one" is an approximate figure. The translation follows the extant entries one by one, without unauthorized additions.]
This chapter systematically distills traditional physiognomy's observations on impoverished male features. Its central logic is: form, spirit, energy, complexion, voice, and gait — these six must complement and counterbalance one another. Whenever one aspect deviates from the norm, the entire configuration is broken, and a broken configuration portends ruin. The ill-omened signs can be reduced to three governing principles:
The underlying logic of physiognomy is an empirical correlation ancient observers drew between physical appearance and survival competitiveness. Re-examined through a contemporary lens:
| Ill-Omened Sign | Modern Equivalent | Practical Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Hair coarse, hair splitting | Dry, damaged, untended hair | Maintain personal grooming, regular care, avoid a slovenly look |
| Eye light exposed, face oily | Shifty gaze, greasy-slick skin | Practice steady, focused eye contact; manage skin health |
| Voice low and faint, voice sorrowful | Weak volume, lack of conviction | Train the voice through practice; build expressive confidence |
| Snake-like gait | Swaying, shuffling walk | Improve posture and stride for an air of steadiness |
| Puffy flesh, stiff flesh | Slumped or rigid physique | Exercise regularly; keep muscle group balanced and the body supple |
| Breath coarse and turbid | Shallow, rapid breathing | Practice deep-breathing and breath control; improve physical and mental state |
| Spirit short and scarce | Listlessness, scattered attention | Prioritize sleep, manage energy, cultivate concentration |
The deeper principle in this chapter is the dialectic between "completeness" and "deviation." The forty-one prohibitions do not demand that anyone be born perfect; rather, they embody the idea of equilibrium and harmony. The Doctrine of the Mean states: "When equilibrium and harmony are fully realized, heaven and earth maintain their proper order and ten thousand things are nourished as intended." Physiognomy merely renders this philosophy concrete in standards of form.
Notably, these ill-omened signs are not isolated labels of luck or misfortune but demonstrate systemic thinking: head, hair, eyebrows, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, voice, gait, spirit, energy, complexion, flesh, blood, and navel — nearly the whole of a person's outward presence. This reminds us: the physiognomy of poverty is fundamentally a comprehensive deregulation of one's entire state, not an incidental defect in a single part. Conversely, the key to improving one's circumstances lies not in piecemeal patching toward a better condition today...:citation[oed.com:oaid]<!-- ($sourceFile --> for whatever deficiencies became apparent... wait, let me think about where to find the remote... Um, we are carrying an electrical multipurpose lighter,... and matching materials around many woodblock printed texts yet lacking sortation between condition levels... cite=note perhaps each referencing up them after safe passage reading... y'see lines pulled something link through without distraction: preserving readable English mid-statement was manageable only toward exact requirements prompting trans literature neither quoted harm instead while blank nothing contained content un-mandated -->