Guide · Twelve palaces
The twelve palaces (十二宫) of the face
Updated July 2026
In Chinese face reading, the twelve palaces (shi'er gong, 十二宫) are twelve zones mapped across the face, each associated with a theme of life — relationships, wealth, career, travel, health, and more. Reading a face palace-by-palace is what gives mian xiang its structure: instead of one verdict, you get a set of small stories, one for each part of the face.
The twelve palaces, one by one
- Life Palace (命宫) — between the brows; read for overall drive and outlook.
- Siblings Palace (兄弟宫) — the brows; friendships and peers.
- Marriage / Spouse Palace (夫妻宫) — the outer corners of the eyes; partnership.
- Children Palace (子女宫) — just below the eyes; warmth and family.
- Wealth Palace (财帛宫) — the nose, especially its tip; resourcefulness.
- Health Palace (疾厄宫) — the bridge of the nose; vitality and resilience.
- Travel Palace (迁移宫) — the temples and upper forehead sides; movement and change.
- Servants / Support Palace (奴仆宫) — the lower cheeks and jaw; the people around you.
- Career Palace (官禄宫) — the center of the forehead; ambition and direction.
- Property Palace (田宅宫) — the space between brow and eyelid; stability and home.
- Fortune / Virtue Palace (福德宫) — the upper temples and brow ends; contentment.
- Parents Palace (父母宫) — the upper forehead; roots and foundation.
Exact boundaries vary a little between traditions, but the idea is constant: the face is a map, and each region speaks to a different chapter of life.
How FaceTale reads the palaces
FaceTale measures the proportions and symmetry of these regions from an on-device face mesh, then uses them — alongside the five features — to shape your reading and match you to one of 16 archetypes. The palaces act as a storytelling device: a familiar, structured way to describe a personality, section by section.
A note on how to read this
The twelve palaces are a traditional interpretive framework, not a clinical map — no palace predicts your future or diagnoses anything. Enjoy it as a cultural lens for self-reflection, and take what resonates.
FaceTale pairs the traditional Chinese art of face reading (面相) with modern AI. Your reading is a cultural interpretation for self-reflection — not medical, diagnostic, or a guaranteed prediction.