The five colours of the face miàn sè wǔ sè · 面色五色

Five colours are described as appearing on the face, each paired with a pattern and a system: blue-green with Liver and with cold or pain, red with Heat, yellow with Spleen and damp, white with Lung and with deficiency or cold, and dark or black with Kidney.

Two cautions apply. In classical practice a colour is always read together with the pulse and the interview, never alone. And several of these appearances, such as a yellow tinge or a grey pallor, are also signs that modern medicine treats as reasons to seek assessment.