The Laboratory of God
Classical Chinese Facial Observation Map
A historical facial-zone map considered with curiosity, cultural respect, and clear limits on what observation can tell us.
By Olga S., Founder & Practitioner · August 28, 2026 · 8 min read
Classical Chinese facial observation
Thirteen regions, read as one face
This classical map describes thirteen facial regions as reflections of traditional Zang-Fu systems. It asks the observer to notice the whole face, color, luster, clarity, moisture, and change over time before interpreting any single area.
Huangdi Neijing · Lingshu, chapter 49 · The Five Colors
Select a number to read the region. Left and right are named from the patient's perspective, not the viewer's.
Selected region
Head & Face 首面
Where to look: Upper forehead.
庭者，首面也
Head & Face 首面
Upper forehead
Throat 咽喉
Just above the space between the brows
Lung 肺
Between the eyebrows
Heart 心
Root of the nose, between the eyes
Liver 肝
Directly below the Heart zone, on the bridge
Gallbladder 膽
Beside the Liver zone on the patient's left only
Spleen 脾
Tip of the nose
Stomach 胃
Wings of the nose
Large Intestine 大腸
Center of each cheek
Kidney 腎
Outside the Large Intestine zones, toward the ears
Navel 臍
Lower jaw, opposite the Kidney zones
Small Intestine 小腸
Above the nose tip, flanking the lower bridge
Bladder & Uterus 膀胱子處
Philtrum, directly below the nose tip
Reading the nasal ridge
The smallest area needs the clearest order
Six zones occupy the small area on and beside the nose: Lung between the brows, Heart at the root, Liver down the bridge, Gallbladder beside it on the patient's left, Spleen at the tip, and Stomach at the wings.
Two placements are often confused: Small Intestine is above the nose tip, not on the forehead; Bladder & Uterus is below the nose tip at the philtrum, not on the chin.
How to observe
- 1Begin with the whole face: complexion, expression, symmetry, and overall vitality before any single region.
- 2Notice color: which of the traditional Five Colors appears, and where it is situated.
- 3Notice luster, clarity, and moisture rather than color alone.
- 4Notice change over time. One observation says little; a developing pattern provides more context.
- 5Integrate observation with listening, questioning, and palpation. Never interpret the face in isolation.
The Five Colors · 五色
Traditional color associations
Color is considered together with location, luster, clarity, moisture, and change over time. These are historical associations, not contemporary medical findings.
Green / Blue 青
Liver · Wood
Stagnation, constraint, tension, or frustration; paired with black, the classical text associates it with pain.
Red 赤
Heart · Fire
Heat, excess, or agitation; paired with yellow, the classical text associates it with heat.
White 白
Lung · Metal
Deficiency, dryness, or grief; the classical text associates white with cold.
Yellow 黃
Spleen · Earth
Dampness, worry, overthinking, or fatigue; paired with red, the classical text associates it with heat.
Black 黑
Kidney · Water
Cold, fear, depletion, or deep deficiency within the traditional framework.
青黑為痛，黃赤為熱，白為寒 — blue-black indicates pain, yellow-red heat, and white cold in the classical text.
Observation before interpretation
Traditional Chinese medicine includes inspection among its long-practiced ways of gathering information. The face—its complexion, expression, texture, and visible changes—has been observed as one part of a much broader picture that also includes conversation, touch, history, and other forms of assessment.
The interactive map shown here follows the thirteen-zone sequence described in chapter 49 of the Lingshu. It associates particular regions of the face with traditional functional systems. Facial maps vary across texts, teachers, and traditions, and they should not be treated as universal anatomical charts or as proof that an organ is healthy or unwell.
How RA SPHERA holds this tradition
At RA SPHERA, traditional observation is approached as a prompt for attention—not a verdict. A visible pattern may invite a thoughtful question about sleep, stress, breathing, movement, comfort, or recent change. It does not establish a disease, determine its cause, or replace appropriate testing.
This reflects the larger philosophy of the practice: contemporary anatomy and physiology can remain in conversation with inherited systems of observation when each is described honestly and kept within its proper limits.
A map is not a diagnosis
A mark, line, color change, breakout, or area of sensitivity on the face cannot by itself diagnose a problem in a particular organ. New, persistent, painful, or concerning changes belong with an appropriately licensed medical professional.
RA SPHERA does not diagnose medical diseases or disorders. This chart is shared as cultural and educational material only and never replaces medical evaluation, testing, or treatment.