[Korean Culture & Language] Lucky eyes

Hello, this is Uptempo Marketers!


관상(physiognomy) is fortune-telling based on facial characteristics, similar to how a palm reading works. There are old Korean proverbs like ‘사람의 얼굴은 열두 번 변한다 (A human face changes 12 times throughout their lifetime),’ and ‘잘될턱이 있나 (There’s no chin to be well)’. It shows how deeply Koreans feel that their facial traits influence their fate.

Many people nowadays have cosmetic surgery in order to make their eyes bigger. However, people with big eyes are more likely to cheat and succumb to temptation, according to physiognomy.

According to 관상학 (physiognomy), ‘좋은 관상 (lucky face)’ is defined by eyes with clear 흰자 (sclera; white part) and 눈동자 (iris). Your business is likely to prosper if your sclera is clear and your iris is dark.

복 있는 관상 vs 복 없는 관상

The meme above states that people with eyes that are thin and wide are wise and elegant. 

Having a big iris and pupil is associated with being sentimental and passionate. 

The smaller a person’s iris and pupil, the more rational they are.

Having sclerae that are reddish or yellowish means they can harm their parents or spouses.

A person with no fat around the eyes has no luck with money.


As I mentioned in my last article, physiognomy is just a fun way of analyzing a person’s fortune by looking at their face, and it does not provide a true estimate of their fortune. 


마의상법 (Classical books of Physiognomy) states "A healthy body is more important than a physiognomy image, and a healthy mind is more important than a healthy body".

Which of the above types of eyes do yours most closely resemble?

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