At a glance
- Classification
- Three segments and five symbolic regions
Definition and scope
Three divisions segment the face, while five mountains use mountain metaphors for prominent regions. These are textual symbolic maps rather than medical subdivisions or standardized experimental measures. State the boundaries in the chosen source. Modern beauty ratios or image-processing methods should not be presented as the sole meaning of classical terms.
Structure and details
One historical description marks the upper division from hairline to brow-center, the middle through the nose and the lower from the philtrum toward the chin. Mountain assignments associate nasal, cheek, forehead and chin regions with symbolic directions. Check the source: the five mountains are not five equal subdivisions of the three divisions.
Example and history
A scanned historical page supplies explicit division boundaries. An anonymous schematic can show them alongside another source’s version. Different ranges should remain documented rather than forced into agreement. Status predictions written around those proportions belong to the authors’ beliefs; they should not become conclusions about a person whose face is being observed.
Contexts and limits
The scheme helps explain textual diagrams and landscape metaphors applied to bodies. It cannot establish intelligence, honesty, wealth or descendants’ futures from proportions. Hairline, expression, dental changes and camera angle affect images. Respect facial diversity, avoid ranking people through historical ideals of fullness or balance, and include contemporary ancient critiques in the reading.
References & further reading
Historical sources document ideas and rules of their time, not empirical proof of predictive accuracy. Source notes identify the nature and scope of each reference.
- 古今圖書集成：卷473扫描页48Primary / tradition source
Historical example of facial divisions and mountain terminology.
- 古今圖書集成：藝術典第631卷Primary / tradition source
Historical physiognomic categories and facial-palace diagrams, containing status and gender biases; not valid judgments about people.
- 荀子：非相Primary / tradition source
A classical critique of appearance-based judgments, prioritizing disposition and conduct; the classical text rather than automated translation is used.