Zeng Guofan's physiognomy: Look at the eyes and nose for good or bad, and the lips for truth or falsehood

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In Chinese history, there are not many perfect successful people, and Zeng Guofan should be one of them. Being able to select talented people and appoint capable people to positions can be said to be a major secret behind Zeng Guofan's career success. Zeng Guofan believed that the key to getting things done was to employ people, and the key to employing people was to first know them. That is to say, careful employment requires a deep understanding of people and the ability to discern their essence.

Zeng Guofan's method of identifying talents is regarded by many as physiognomy. Zeng Guofan's widely circulated Eight Physiognomy Rhymes can be said to be Zeng Guofan's summary of physiognomy. Some of its contents obviously go beyond the scope of traditional physiognomy and incorporate some new methods of examining and observing people.

1. Look at the eyes and nose to determine whether something is right or wrong

Loyalty and treachery are the two most important aspects when Chinese people judge people. If they cannot even identify good people from bad people, how can they employ people? Therefore, Zeng Guofan defined the first sentence in the formula for identifying people as "to judge whether a person is evil or not can be seen from his eyes and nose." If the nose and eyes are not straight, or as the saying goes, the eyes are slanted and the nose is crooked, Zeng Guofan believes that this person must have evil intentions.

Just like when watching Peking opera, you can tell whether the person is a traitor or a loyal minister as soon as the facial makeup appears. According to physiognomy, a seven-foot body is not as good as a one-foot head, and a one-foot head is not as good as an inch-long eye. So when looking at a person, in addition to the overall appearance, the first thing to look at is whether the nose and eyes are straight. This is also the most basic aspect of judging people.

"The Great Tong of Human Relations" says that if you want to observe the magic, you must first see it with your eyes. The eyes are the palace of wisdom and stupidity, nobility and humbleness, cleverness and clumsiness, courage and cowardice, and good and evil. Mencius said: If the mind is right, the eyes will be bright. The most valuable thing is the eyes being long and deep, the second most important thing is the tail being slightly upturned, and the third most important thing is hiding the spirit. Therefore, he has two eyes with hidden spirits, is rich and famous, has a fishtail inserted in his forehead, and is promoted to the position of prime minister. People with triangular eyes are usually cunning. For example, the pupil should be as bright as a dot of ink, with clear black and white. Elephant eyes indicate a rational thinking type, yellow eye pupils indicate a long-lived type, bulging eyes indicate a bad temper, turbid eyes indicate an early death type, etc. Zeng Guofan recorded the most examples of observing people's types through their eyes. For example, looking straight ahead without looking around is the best, while wandering eyes are thieves and are harmful to others, while staring insanely hurts oneself. The nose is the center of the Five Mountains. According to physiognomy books, the nose is the judge. It is located in the center, towering high, and is known as the Tianzhu Mountain. It connects the forehead above and the philtrum below. The nose is dominated by the tip of the nose, with golden armor on both sides.

Second, the authenticity depends on the lips

The mouth is the cashier, and no matter how big it is, it is not too big. Good speech and bad speech are two completely different poles. A mouth is valuable if it is square, wide and thick. There are also those who have a greater desire to open and a smaller desire to close. Lips: It is a good thing for two lips to match each other. If the upper lip cannot cover the lower lip, the man will be deceitful and the woman will be unlucky in marriage. The person with a mouth like a bird's beak is the most difficult to make friends with. After Fan Li successfully assisted King Gou Jian of Yue, he decided to break up with him because he saw that he had a long neck and a bird's beak and could not share happiness with him. According to historical records, an old woman named Xu Fu in the Han Dynasty predicted that Zhou Yafu would starve to death based on his mouth: According to physiognomy, if there are horizontal lines deep inside the mouth, the person will starve to death.

3. Success depends on courage

Zeng Guofan said that whether a person has achieved fame or not depends on his character. Some people can motivate everyone as soon as they appear, just like when you are in love, you fall in love at first sight. You are overwhelmed by the other person's temperament and have a feeling of following them. At the beginning of the fourth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, Hu Linyi, the prefect of Liping, Guizhou, led 300 people into Tongcheng in response to the request of Wu Wenrong, the governor of Huguang. On the way, he learned that Wu had died in the battle of Huangzhou. Zeng Guofan did not know that Wu had died at that time. He wrote a letter saying that Wu had come, which was good for Master Zhen (Wu Wenrong) and for the two Hubei provinces. I also received news about the fall of Luzhou and the martyrdom of Min Qiao (Jiang Zhongyuan). I was worried about the whole world and my party. He then submitted a secret memorial to the Qing court, praising Hu's talent as ten times that of his ministers and declaring him of great potential. Hu then became Zeng's subordinate. But later, Hu was the first to be appointed as a frontier governor. He served Wen Zheng with respect, was on good terms with Wen Gong (Guan Wen), and praised and ceded merit to others. Was the rejuvenation of the Tang Dynasty based on this? After Hu's death, Zeng Guofan said in private to his trusted aide Zhao Liewen: Hu Linyi is a heroic figure. In May of the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, Hu Linyi wrote to Zeng Guofan saying that Shaoquan must have great talent and ability if he could be selected as a lucky general and used, which would also be a great help to his achievements. Zeng and Hu read Li's fortune and both said that Li Hongzhang had the appearance of being extremely rich and powerful and was a lucky general.

4. Wealth and honor depend on spirit

The spirit here means essence, energy and spirit. Can a person enjoy wealth and honor for a long time? Zeng Guofan said that even if you try hard to cultivate some talents, because they cannot enjoy wealth and honor for a long time, in the end, it may be all in vain. When he talked privately with Zhao Liewen, he said with great regret that Hu Linyi was the most miserable person in the Hunan Army. Xue Fucheng also found that Hu Linyi had a bitter face. Although he had extraordinary heroic spirit, he had a bitter look, which meant that he lacked energy and spirit, so he could not last long. We usually say that people live on a breath. Those who live long have a long breath, while those who live short have a short breath. This qi is the essence, energy and spirit. Essence is a tangible thing, while Qi and Spirit are intangible things. However, intangible things like Qi and Spirit rely on essence for support, and this is true for both men and women. Essence comes out from the kidneys, so when a person has kidney failure, his essence is gone, and his energy and spirit are also dissipated. Kangxi had a famous saying in his later years. He said that he had devoted all his energy to the Qing Empire, his heart had expended his blood for the world, and his spirit had given him a chance to serve the world. This is the best way to express it. Therefore, Zeng Guofan said that wealth and honor depend on the spirit.

5. Pay attention to the fingernails

He said that whether a person has ideas or not can be determined mainly by looking at his fingers and claws. Thick and soft hands are valuable. People with long and slender fingers are intelligent and have their own ideas, while people with short and thick fingers are stupid. Zeng Guofan said that people with clear and shallow lines on the palms have a calm mind. This peace of mind means that one’s intention is determined and one will not panic when faced with things. People with shallow and messy lines on their palms have a confused and restless mind.

6. Look at the tendons of the feet during a storm

A thousand-mile horse is as good as its feet. We say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The book of physiognomy says that feet support the whole body and operate all the organs. The foot represents a good horse and the earth. What is valuable is that it is flat, thick, straight and long. Whenever a major war broke out during the Qing Dynasty, good horses had to be selected, and most of them were chosen from Mongolia and the Northwest. One criterion for distinguishing good and bad horses is that the ones that arrive at this place first within a specific time are good horses, and those that do not arrive are eliminated. People start to age from their feet, so he said that if there is any trouble, one should look at the tendons of the feet. Some people can rise to the highest position of officials without any trouble or disaster; while others have a rough life before they finally achieve success. This is the kind of person who is prone to trouble.

7. If you want to see the logic, it’s all in the language

These two sentences are not about physiognomy, but about observing people. Zeng Guofan attached great importance to organization and regarded it as one of the four most important aspects of employing people. He said that whether a word is organized or not can be seen through the language. Language mainly includes two aspects: one is written language, including various reports and so on. In everyone's life, perhaps the most indispensable thing is our words. A lot of texts are reports, so it is very important whether the reports are organized. The language Zeng Guofan refers to here mainly refers to oral language. He often said that what the ancients said about listening to words is very applicable, that is, when two people talk, whether they can get to the point, be clear and organized, and catch the other person, can show whether they are organized or not.

But just remembering these seven sentences is not enough. In Mr. Tang Haoming's official edition of "Zeng Guofan", there is a story about Zeng Guofan teaching his beloved disciple Li Hongzhang the key points of physiognomy. Zeng Guofan's experience in physiognomy must have benefited Li Hongzhang, who later became a pillar of the late Qing Dynasty.

Dear teacher, everyone says that you are good at judging people. I would like to ask you to teach me some methods to identify brave soldiers. This time when we go back, we will select many promising officers and soldiers.

There are many mysteries and complexities in physiognomy, which cannot be explained in just a few words. Some of them cannot be expressed in words but can only be understood. The key lies in the experience of the physiognomist. I once made up a few mnemonics and I'll read them to you. Zeng Guofan smiled and said, "To determine right or wrong, look at the eyes and nose; to determine true or false, look at the lips; to determine fame or success, look at the bearing; to determine wealth or honor, look at the spirit; to determine ideas, look at the fingers and nails; to determine troubles, look at the tendons of the feet; if you want to see the logic, it's all in the language."

Li Hongzhang recited it softly and said: These few formulas are concise and to the point, but I am ignorant and feel that they are a bit empty. For example, to judge whether a lip is real or fake, one has to look at the lips. After all, what kind of lips are real and what kind of lips are fake?

Zeng Guofan laughed: That’s hard to say. What I just said can only be understood but not expressed in words. This is what I meant. You have to figure it out on your own. Su Dongpo said that there are many things in the world that can only be understood in the heart but cannot be expressed in writing, and this is especially true of physiognomy and knowledge of people. However, what you asked about is how to identify the bravery of soldiers, which is the simplest art of physiognomy, so let me explain it to you in detail!

Zeng Guofan stroked his long beard which had turned gray, and said seriously, "First, look at the facial features. The best ones are eyes that do not wander, a straight nose, and thick lips. Second, look at the skin. The best ones are rough and dark skin and many calluses on the hands. Third, look at the way people speak. The best ones are those who are taciturn." These three are the main ones, the others are secondary.

Zeng Guofan's three standards for courage gave Li Hongzhang great inspiration. He said respectfully: I will definitely follow the instructions of my master and select five thousand elite Huai troops to come.

The above is a summary of Zeng Guofan’s physiognomy: judging rightness or wrongness by looking at the eyes and nose, and judging truth or falsehood by looking at the lips. I hope it will be helpful to you all! For more information, please continue to follow the Dream Interpreter’s Fortune Telling Website’s Xiong Zhang account!