Decoding features

12 July 2009 -

THE next time someone tells you not to judge a book by its cover, you can resolutely tell him he’s wrong.

Yes, we certainly can evaluate a book by its cover, but no, we’re not necessarily being judgemental.

Hey, let’s be honest. All of us instinctively make judgments based on first impressions. In fact, it’s well-known among human resources experts that we evaluate people within the first three seconds of meeting them.

Beware those extra long ‘fish tails’ at the corner of his eyes – they indicate that the gorgeous David Beckham has a flirtatious personality!

 

Why is it we remember some faces, forget others and dislike a few for no reason at all? How many times have we thought to ourselves: “He looks like a mean person. She looks like an old nag. He seems a nice guy. She appears to be a poser.”

Biased remarks? Well, those who know the ancient art of face reading will say that your appearance can tell on you.

The Chinese say a person’s character is reflected on his face. We have a saying, “xiang you xin sheng”, which translates roughly as “your facial features come from your heart”. It means that your attitude and character are reflected in your face. It’s all there, whether you’re pretentious, arrogant, generous, lascivious, or bossy.

Just take a look at Bernard Madoff, the 70-year-old American financier who swindled billions of dollars from thousands of people. Maddoff’s almost non-existent lips and crooked nose betray him – they show that he is a schemer!

Now take a look at the excessively long “fish tails” at the corners of Brit footballer David Beckham’s eyes –they denote a flirtatious person. He certainly has a weakness for the opposite sex. Watch out, Posh!

The swindler Bernard Madoff’s almost non-existent lips and crooked nose indicate he’s a schemer.

 

Another celebrity, Paris Hilton, isn’t as dumb as most people think. The tip of her nose protrudes downwards, a sign of someone who’s shrewd, business savvy, and knows life isn’t all about partying.

She knows how best to capitalise on appearing to be a bimbo.

How accurate is it? 

While experienced businessmen or perceptive people are able to size up a person instinctively, others can learn how to base their judgment on a uniform system of face reading called Mian Xiang. “Mian” represents the face while “xiang” represents physiognomy or appearance.

During the days of the imperial dynasties in China, face reading was one of the sciences deployed by court strategists and advisors who were responsible for guiding the emperors.

For example, whenever the emperor had to go off to meet a rival monarch, or, perhaps, had a foreign dignitary come to his court, his imperial strategists would use their Mian Xiang skills to size up the person and provide the emperor with detailed insight and information, thus enabling the emperor to determine what to say, or not, to the visitor.

Mian Xiang practitioners claim that the system can help you garner an amazing amount of information from a person’s appearance – everything from his personality to his positive and negative traits, his fortune, destiny, and even his luck for the day.

Of course, naysayers would dismiss Mian Xiang as faith with no grounding in fact. So, just how accurate is this system?

She’s no dumb blonde – that nose tip that curves downwards on Paris Hilton’s pretty face says she’s shrewd and business savvy

 

“It’s very accurate,” insists Joey Yap, founder, CEO, and master trainer of the Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics.

“Face reading is Chinese metaphysics, a science. It has nothing to do with religion.

Yap goes on to elaborate on the system: “Giving an interpretation based on a two-dimensional photo can be difficult, especially if the lighting is not right. A face reader needs to see the ‘mountains’ and ‘valleys’, the lines on a person’s face, to give an accurate reading. If the information given is accurate, the reading will also be accurate.”

Yap says he does not go around judging every face he sees, though. He emphasises that there are no good or bad features because everybody has some sort of strength in his features.

“For instance, if someone isn’t a very good communicator, it doesn’t mean you don’t hire him, just don’t put him in your sales team. Don’t let him talk so much! Make him do more writing or back end stuff. If a person is a good talker, then place him in marketing and sales,” he explains.

Those involved in business and finance claim that knowledge of Mian Xiang is an asset. Apart from being able to see whether the CEO of a public listed company is trustworthy and has drive, you could also tell if he is savvy, if he has that X-factor that will help him be outstanding.

Yap says a knowledge of face reading can give people an upper hand in negotiations. This doesn’t just apply in business; it can also enhance one’s personal life.

People in relationships, for example, can use Ming Xiang to understand their partners better.

“Let’s say the guy you like has small and long eyes. This could mean he won’t wear his heart on his sleeve. He won’t say he loves you 24/7. But it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love you. If you can understand that, you will avoid misunderstanding him and, hence, your relationship will improve,” says Yap.

Your destiny in your face

It is important to note that unlike Western face reading systems, Mian Xiang goes beyond personality traits and character and allows its user to tell a person’s fortune, luck, talents, and destiny.

For instance, you may know someone who is not particularly rich. But if he has a strong, broad nose with wide nostrils, a high and broad forehead, and prominent cheeks, you can pretty much bet he is on his way to making his fortune.

A more thorough reading may even be able to pinpoint the exact age when that will happen – the human face is a 100-year map, and all we need to do is to look out for the age points on it, Yap explains.

Well, is there hope, apart from plastic surgery, for a person who has Dumbo-like ears, a tiny nose tip, bony cheekbones, thin pursed lips, and moles or scars – all negative elements?

“Yes,” Yap says. “Your face reflects what’s in your heart. If you change your heart and attitude, your face will change too.

You may be able to remove a mole (surgically), but you cannot change your bone structure. So save your money and change your attitude.”

In Mian Xiang, good features are fleshy, moist, and free of scars, bumps, and moles. (Yap says 90% of moles on the face are considered “not good”.)

Poor features are a bony, uneven face with sharp features, and skin that is dry and red. Example: a sharp, witch-like nose reveals poison in the heart.