Criticism of Physiognomy

It is a general tendency to judge people by their appearance, and men particularly praise those who can foretell someone’s good luck or misfortune by his looks. However, looking into this phenomenon, one may find that the way of thinking dominates all, thus studying a person’s mind is more important than reading his outer appearance. This essay offers quite a number of examples to reveal that the fundamental factor that determines a person’s luck is his mind rather than his appearance. When his mind follows the correct method, a man becomes a gentleman in spite of his ugly appearance; otherwise, if the method is incorrect, he might become a petty man even if he is good-looking. Being a gentleman brings oneself luck; being a petty man may cause him trouble. The thing that gives one luck is his thought rather than his height, build or face. This accounts for the tragedy of Jie and Zhou, who were attractive in outer appearance but cherished ignoble thoughts.