DAOIST PSYCHOLOGY
for health assessment, personality typing, and relationship compatibility
Also known as Daoist or Chinese face reading, 面相, Mien Shiang (Wade-Giles), miàn xiàng (pin yin), and TCM facial diagnosis. I use the terms Daoist psychology or Mien Shiang in deference to my teacher and my lineage.
The ancient Daoists understood that energy gives birth to form. They used the physiognomy of the face to quickly assess the character of strangers and to diagnosis disease and render a prognosis.
Our faces convey our greatest gifts and challenges in terms of health, relationships, career, and more. Personality characteristics, repetitive emotions and thought patterns, as well as those of our ancestors, all leave their mark on our faces. This makes Mien Shiang an effective tool for self-awareness.
In Mien Shiang we first assess the predominant element(s) of the person. There are 5 elements or phases (五行, wǔxíng): Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Take the quiz below to start exploring your own predominant element(s).
Discover your Type
Take the 5 Element Questionnaire!
Understand your Element Personality
Knowing our predominant element(s) helps us understand our innate gifts and challenges and our relationship dynamics.
How do the 5 Elements Interact?
If an element is out of balance we can use other elements to strengthen or keep it in check. The 5 Elements interact in 2 constructive and 2 destructive ways:
Generating Cycle – Shēng 生
The 5 Elements give birth to each other. Water nourishes Wood. Wood fuels Fire. Fire turns fuel into Earth. Earth generates Metal. Metal condenses Water.
Control Cycle – Kè 克
The 5 Elements hold healthy boundaries for each other to keep each other from excesses. Water puts out excess Fire. Fire warms rigid Metal. Metal trims overgrown Wood. Wood breaks up stuck Earth. Earth dams marauding Water.
Over Control Cycle – Chéng 乘
When the 5 Elements are out of balance they oppress and minimize each other. This is the control cycle in excess. Water puts out Fire. Fire melts down Metal. Metal cuts down Wood. Wood tears up Earth. Earth soaks up Water.
Insulting Cycle – Wǔ 侮
The 5 Elements can attack backwards. This is the reverse of the control cycle. Water floods Earth. Earth buries Wood. Wood dulls Metal. Metal doesn’t melt before Fire is exhausted. Fire evaporates Water.
Civility; the Beauty of the Metal Element
Confucianism, at its heart, is the ideal of taking the [...]
Five Element Personality Typing for Children
LOOSE TRANSCRIPT from interview [...]
Chinese New Year 2018 – Year of the Yang Earth Dog
It is Oben's favorite year in the 12 year cycle [...]
Suggested Reading
These are the best books to get started applying 5 Element Personality Typing to your life:
