Siang Mien, Mien Shiang & Mian Xiang — The Many Names of Chinese Face Reading

Why Chinese Face Reading Has So Many Spellings

Chinese is written in characters, not letters. To write a Chinese word in English, it has to be romanized — and for most of the 20th century the West used the Wade–Giles system, which spells 面相 as mien-hsiang — the source of the popular informal spelling Mien Shiang. In 1958 China adopted Hanyu Pinyin, which spells the same word as Mian Xiang. Books, teachers and websites from different eras and regions kept their own spelling, so all of them are still in use today.

On top of that, there are two closely related Chinese words — 面相 and 相面 — which is where Siang Mien comes from.

Every Name at a Glance

面相 vs 相面 — What the Characters Mean

面 (mian) means “face,” and 相 (xiang) means “appearance” or “to examine.” Put the face first — 面相 — and you get a noun: the features of a face and what they say about a person. Put the verb first — 相面 — and you get the action: reading a face.

So Mian Xiang and Mien Shiang describe the face and the study of it, while Siang Mien describes what a face reader does. In practice, English speakers use all of them to mean the same tradition.

How Siang Mien Works

Whatever you call it, classical Chinese face reading rests on the same three frameworks, recorded in texts such as 《麻衣神相》 (Mayi Shenxiang):

Which Name Should You Search For?

If you are looking for books, older Western titles often use Mien Shiang. For teachers and readers in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, Siang Mien is common. Most modern websites and apps — including this one — use Mian Xiang, the official Pinyin spelling. You will find the same tradition under every name.