What do you think?
Rate this book
Face Reading in Chinese Medicine
An exciting new, full-colour edition of Face Reading in Chinese Medicine featuring over 200 colour photographs and practical instructions on how to conduct a face reading! Face reading has been part of Traditional Chinese Medicine for many centuries, and Professor Lillian Bridges is a popular academic and international lecturer on the subject who gained her fascinating knowledge through her family line of Master Face Readers in China. Based on an understanding of the shapes, markings and features of a face, practitioners can learn about the health and life of a patient relating to the principles of Chinese medicine. In addition to understanding how the body's internal functions - physical, psychological and emotional - can be seen on a face, practitioners can also learn how to evaluate Shen to understand non-verbal expressions.Technical and detailed information is presented in an upbeat, insightful and highly readable manner. This was the first book to focus on the deeper aspects of face reading and diagnosis, this edition includes ancient Taoist knowledge regarding the Original Face and Facial Jing and Qi markers which have previously only been taught through the oral tradition.
328 pages, Hardcover
First published August 20, 2003
71 people are currently reading
469 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 4, 2009
If you’re the type of person who believes in fate, destiny, horoscopes and the like, you should definitely pick this book up. Face reading was something that I thought was really phony, even though I believe in horoscopes. But after I went through a few of the main facial features, like the eyes and the nose, I realized how part of my personality was already predetermined by the size of my lips and the way my cheeks are structured.
I would also recommend this book to people who do not believe in the power of face reading. Try it for yourself and see if it works. I know I did! I would have to say about ninety-five percent of the time, the readings are accurate. I think I went a little crazy when I tried this experiment on my family, friends, and some celebrities. The most surprising thing I found was how this also works on video game characters.
All in all, the whole concept is amazing. Really, this is a good read and you do not even have to read the entire book; you can skim to the parts of the face that you want to learn about, but beware, doing this might make you want to read everything! There were some parts of my face that I could not even match to the given descriptions, which really made me think about how diverse humans really are. I think the important message that this book held was how unique every single person is, no matter who that person is or where they are from. Everyone has potential that they have not yet discovered.
I would also recommend this book to people who do not believe in the power of face reading. Try it for yourself and see if it works. I know I did! I would have to say about ninety-five percent of the time, the readings are accurate. I think I went a little crazy when I tried this experiment on my family, friends, and some celebrities. The most surprising thing I found was how this also works on video game characters.
All in all, the whole concept is amazing. Really, this is a good read and you do not even have to read the entire book; you can skim to the parts of the face that you want to learn about, but beware, doing this might make you want to read everything! There were some parts of my face that I could not even match to the given descriptions, which really made me think about how diverse humans really are. I think the important message that this book held was how unique every single person is, no matter who that person is or where they are from. Everyone has potential that they have not yet discovered.
May 15, 2022
I've read this book quite a few times over the years, and absolutely love it. Bridges has a beautiful writing style and is so personable. The concepts outlined in this book are easy to understand as a layman, and it's so fascinating! I also really appreciate all the photos and diagrams that illustrate the concepts.
This book has inspired me to go for my certification in face reading, and in the meantime, it's a book that I refer to again and again. One of my all-time favourites.
This book has inspired me to go for my certification in face reading, and in the meantime, it's a book that I refer to again and again. One of my all-time favourites.
October 19, 2015
Interesting book. Two basic ideas really appealed to me: the idea of original face (or who we were each born to be/designed to be) and the observation that our faces acquire markings. There were also two ideas about how these markings acquired, the new-to-me idea that single significant events can mark particular parts of the face, and the more familiar-to-me idea that some markings result from habitual expressions. Some tidbits I liked:
*concerning the appearance of grief lines, Bridges writes that we are only meant to feel our own grief (this is so tough to do in the media environment we live in now).
*the idea of Jing (finite-ish life energy you are born with), and Qi (energy you can replenish every day). I loved the advice to pay attention to whether food you are eating feeds your Jing. That kind of explains how I feel about eggplant, so much more satisfying than chocolate (though I do eat chocolate so much more often).
*attention to shapes and parts of faces I might not always zero in on. It helps me look more closely at faces if there might be some meaning attached to it. We are meaning-makers, right? Nothing seems judgmental either. For example, Bridges says according to this canon, a person with a short nose likes to have fun, while a person whose nose goes long towards the mouth works hard and is proud of their accomplishments. One message that kept coming across was to think twice about plastic surgery because it could change your experience of confidence, etc...
And the idea that we can reverse some of our wrinkles by trading in the habitual emotions for transcendent emotions. Definitely something I could get behind: makes life more enjoyable and would be cheaper and less painful than procedures.
*concerning the appearance of grief lines, Bridges writes that we are only meant to feel our own grief (this is so tough to do in the media environment we live in now).
*the idea of Jing (finite-ish life energy you are born with), and Qi (energy you can replenish every day). I loved the advice to pay attention to whether food you are eating feeds your Jing. That kind of explains how I feel about eggplant, so much more satisfying than chocolate (though I do eat chocolate so much more often).
*attention to shapes and parts of faces I might not always zero in on. It helps me look more closely at faces if there might be some meaning attached to it. We are meaning-makers, right? Nothing seems judgmental either. For example, Bridges says according to this canon, a person with a short nose likes to have fun, while a person whose nose goes long towards the mouth works hard and is proud of their accomplishments. One message that kept coming across was to think twice about plastic surgery because it could change your experience of confidence, etc...
And the idea that we can reverse some of our wrinkles by trading in the habitual emotions for transcendent emotions. Definitely something I could get behind: makes life more enjoyable and would be cheaper and less painful than procedures.
May 24, 2023
the leading author on this subject. Read and you will understand why.
An in-depth book and full of knowledge. Put into practice and you will see how amazing her work is. Every time I read it I understand more and more.
An in-depth book and full of knowledge. Put into practice and you will see how amazing her work is. Every time I read it I understand more and more.
January 26, 2026
I was mostly interested in this for picking up on illnesses by looking at the face but I thought the personality stuff was fascinating. I’m definitely noticing a lot more about the faces I see. I will probably reread this, possibly several times.
April 26, 2019
So fascinating. Wish I could retain more of this information!
November 15, 2019
By this way we can diagnose patients condition...... It s the best way
June 21, 2023
A must read and an even more must re-read.
April 29, 2016
Wonderful book! Very useful for everyone :)
December 28, 2024
Nice intro into tcm
November 30, 2010
i love her. amazing speaker and her stuff is really interesting.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews