How to recognize people by their facial expressions?
For a long time, Zeng Guofan had read a lot of books, was proficient in physiognomy, and was a master at recognizing people face to face. When observing a person's appearance, first examine the bones, and then examine the entire face and form and mannerisms. He can observe the spirit through bones and can predict destiny, character and future, which is the first way to identify talents. The subtlety of identifying people by bone appearance is as Zeng Guofan said: "The spirit of a body is reflected in the two eyes; the bones of the body are reflected in the face."
Zeng Guofan pointed out: Although the soil on the surface of the mountain is often shed and lost, it still remains intact. But it will not collapse and break, precisely because the rock as hard as steel is there to support it, allowing it to remain stable. This is equivalent to the human skeleton. A person's mental state is concentrated on his two eyes, and whether a person's bones are strong or not are concentrated on the face. For people from all walks of life except literati, we must not only look at their inner mental state, but also examine their physical posture. As readers who mainly focus on literature, it mainly depends on their mental state and whether their bones are strong. A person's mental state and skeletal appearance are like two doors, and his destiny is like a mountain outside the door. As long as the door of spirit and body is opened, one can detect a person's inner world. This is the first key to knowing people.
Here, the "bones" mentioned by Zeng Guofan are not bones in the modern human anatomy sense, but specifically refer to the few bones on the head and face that match the "god" and can convey the "god" of several bones. The relationship between "bone" and "spirit" can also be understood from the relationship between "form" and "spirit", but the question of "bone" and "spirit" has a mysterious color that is elusive and difficult for ordinary readers to understand. It is often difficult to grasp, and you can only experience it in practice. This is described in ancient medical books: The joints are like gold and stone. They want to be steep but not horizontal, and they want to be round but not thick. Those who are thin do not want to show their bones, and those who are fat do not want to show their flesh. Bones should be proportional to the flesh, and Qi should be proportional to the blood.
The "God" mentioned by Zeng Guofan is not the word "spirit" in daily life. It has a much broader connotation than "spirit". It is composed of human will, knowledge, personality, A complex of factors such as cultivation, temperament, physical fitness, talents, status, social experience, etc., is a person's inner mental state. As the saying goes, people feel refreshed during happy events, and the "god" discussed here will not change greatly due to people's temporary happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy. There are beautiful and ugly appearances, and black and white colors, but these will not affect " The appearance of "god", in other words, "god" has a penetrating power and can express itself beyond the interference of human appearance. For example, people often say, "So-and-so has the temperament of an artist." This temperament will not completely disappear due to changes in his hairstyle, clothing, etc. appearance. Temperament is one of the components of "god". It can also be seen from here that "god" is not the same as "spirit" as we talk about it in daily life.
A person's "spirit" is mainly concentrated in his two eyes, and whether a person's bones are handsome or not is mainly reflected in a face. People such as workers, farmers, soldiers, businessmen, etc. should not only examine their mental state, but also their physical condition; scholars should mainly examine their "spirits" and "bones". God and bones are like two doors, and destiny is like a towering mountain standing outside the door. Examining the "gods" and "bones" is like opening two doors, and you can have a panoramic view of the ups and downs of the mountains. The two gates - "God" and "Bones" - are the first key to examining characters from their appearance.
God is a temperamental thing that can change in the acquired environment. It may come from training, or it may come from the harmony of yin and yang. After studying to a certain extent, the temperament on his head and face is different from that of other people, as if there is light, which is a manifestation of God. Growing up through experiencing things, going through the test of ups and downs, and having a different temperament and demeanor, this is also a manifestation of God. God is hidden in form, which means appearance, especially the eyes. The relationship between God and the eye is like that between light and the sun. God appears through the eyes, just like light radiating from the sun to illuminate external objects, but God is hidden in the eyes, just like the light itself exists inside the sun. Therefore, Zeng Guofan used eight words to say: "One spirit has two eyes."
In short, "god" cannot exist empty without specific material things. It must be attached to something. That is to say, "god" is the expression of "form", "form" is the basis of "god", and "god" is contained in "form".
In ancient times, scholars were a small number. Their thoughts were complex and their minds were wide-eyed. For example, among the 108 reckless heroes in Shuibo Liangshan, the only real scholars were military advisor Wu Yong and a few others. The other heroes ate large amounts of meat and drank from large bowls. They could say whatever they thought and do whatever they thought.
But Wu Yong was different. After Lu Junyi avenged Chao Gai, Song Jiang wanted to push Lu Junyi to the top spot. Wu Yong was opposed to it, but he didn't say anything. With a look, Black Whirlwind Li Kui jumped out. Wu Yong might consider his own status and take the lead in the opposition so as not to give Lu Junyi face; but on the other hand, if he does not come forward, at least he will not offend Lu Junyi. If Song Jiang insists on Chao Gai's promise before his death - whoever avenges him will take the top spot - then Lu Junyi will still take the seat. If Wu Yong doesn't come forward, neither of them will be offended, so why bother? Why not? Li Kui, Wu Song and other bloody men would not be so thoughtful.
After reading it, I accumulated a qigong state in my heart. In other words, scholars who have been practicing Qigong for a long time have different temperaments from ordinary people. But among them there are also villains with evil intentions, and there are also unjust people who add insult to injury and kidnap other people's wives and daughters, property and reputation. How to identify them under the veil of civilization of being a refined scholar and a humble gentleman?
It depends on the bones and the spirit. Everyone knows this. When the heart is moved, the eyes will show changes. This is actually observing the mind through the eyes. No matter whether the divine light is restrained or sharp, it cannot hide the good or evil character, wisdom and stupidity conveyed by God, just like the sunshine in the thick clouds, the only difference is whether it can identify them.
This is what Zeng Guofan said: "The literati first look at the sacred bones and get straight to the point. This is the first thing." . Observing God is equivalent to pushing open the door. Once the door is opened, career and talents can be predicted.
Zeng Guofan was born in the imperial examination, and he often selected generals from literati during his marches and battles, so he got to know countless scholars throughout his life. "The spirit of the body is reflected in the eyes; the bones of the body are reflected in the face." This sentence is simple and plain, but it is the crystallization of his life experience. Later generations of literati praised Zeng Guofan, and this alone is enough to understand the admiration of some literati.
Jiang Zhongyuan (1812-1854), courtesy name Changru and nickname Minqiao, was a native of Xinning, Hunan. Originally a scholar, he later became a representative literati and brave general in the Hunan Army. Regiment training began in 1848, three years before the Jintian Uprising of the Taiping Rebellion (1851) led by Hong Xiuquan, and Zeng Guofan himself only began to organize regiment training in 1853. Jiang Zhongyuan organized group training to suppress the Qinglian Sect uprising in Xinning County. The leader of the Qinglian Sect, Lei Zaihao, led the crowd to revolt, and Jiang Zhongyuan led the village regiment (not counting the regular army). Lei Zaihao was about to be wiped out in one battle. From then on, he was awarded the title of Qipin County Magistrate and went to Zhejiang to serve.
Jiang Zhongyuan originally studied in a remote mountain in Hunan. He went to Beijing to take the imperial examination and went to see Zeng Guofan as a junior from his hometown. (Zeng Guofan was already a second-rank official at that time, while Jiang Zhongyuan was just an ordinary scholar waiting to take the imperial examination. ). After meeting, the two had a very good conversation, and Zeng Guofan also appreciated Jiang Zhongyuan's talent. When Jiang Zhongyuan said goodbye. Zeng Guofan watched him leave until he went out the door. Zeng Guofan said to those around him: "This man will become famous all over the world in the future, but it is a pity that he will die tragically." Later historical facts confirmed that Zeng Guofan was correct in his inspection.
After the Taiping Army uprising in Guangxi, Jiang Zhongyuan led his troops to Guangxi in 1852 and rushed to the tent of Wu Lantai, the deputy governor of Guangxi, preparing to sniper the Taiping Army that was victorious. After Zeng Guofan learned about it, he wrote a letter to Jiang Zhongyuan from Beijing, firmly opposed to him joining the army, thinking that he "study in the mountains" and joining the army "is not appropriate". He also mobilized his friends to dissuade Jiang Zhongyuan. He believed that "group training and defense" was the duty of a scholar. When he led his troops to Guangxi, he "lost a major part of the battle." Why did Zeng Guofan firmly oppose Jiang Zhongyuan's decision to join the army? Others thought it was because he "loved others with virtue" and did not want Jiang Zhongyuan to seize the military post. But was it related to his belief that Jiang Zhongyuan "would die a tragic death"?
< p>Jiang Zhongyuan's first battle with the Taiping Army was a great success. He led his army to set up an ambush at Feiyidu in Guangxi and severely damaged the Taiping Army. The early leader of the Taiping Army, Nanwang Feng Yunshan, died in this battle. Jiang Zhongyuan was well-known in the court for his ability to lead troops.Due to Jiang Zhongyuan's meritorious service in pursuing the Taiping Army and his accumulated military merits, he was quickly promoted from the seventh-rank county magistrate to the governor of Anhui (third-rank official).
In 1854, Shi Dakai, a brave general of the Taiping Rebellion and King of Wings, led his troops to fight Zeng Guofan's Hunan army. Jiang Zhongyuan defended Luzhou, but was besieged by the Taiping Army and the city was broken. Jiang Zhongyuan died tragically from drowning after exhausting himself after a hard battle.
It is now impossible to verify the basis on which Zeng Guofan judged that Jiang Zhongyuan would "make a name for himself in the world and die tragically"; but what is certain is that looking at him for a long time must have something to do with observing the gods. It can be seen that " Literati first look at the sacred bones" is of great significance.
Any leader has his or her own unique talents in examining characters. Otherwise, it is not enough to achieve a career. After all, a person's power is limited. Leaders must be able to identify talents before they can form a strong core leader's wisdom to lead them in the right direction.
Looking at the ancient and modern figures, as a group leader, only Zeng Guofan left behind a very systematic knowledge of identifying talents, "Bingjian". Yuan Tiangang in the Tang Dynasty and Chen Chuan in the Song Dynasty were both masters at identifying people, but they were not secular people. They were monks and Taoists, wandering among the mountains and rivers, and living like gods. However, Zeng Guofan adhered to the idea of "benefiting the world" and never planned to return to the mountains and forests. He followed his grandfather's encouragement to serve the court wholeheartedly, thus leaving behind a set of knowledge that discerns people.
Zeng Guofan's knowledge of identifying talents has a great influence, and it is also very different from the physiognomy spread among the people. Physiognomy is a static examination, prone to mechanism, and promotes the idea of destiny, failing to see the role of personal efforts, and determining a person's wealth in life from his face. A person's wealth and splendor are affected by many factors such as family, historical conditions, personal struggles, etc. To determine one's wealth based solely on appearance is missing a lot of evidence, and the accuracy cannot be discussed. Zeng Guofan's core idea in identifying talents is to examine his way of thinking and doing things based on his appearance, speech, and action characteristics, so as to judge his talent and determine what job he is suitable for.
This kind of thinking is the right way to examine characters and identify talents. Today’s leaders must be good at absorbing it and understanding its essence.