Of the thirty-two marks, the eyes come first,
Next observe the head and face, they should be square and round.
Judging a horse without consulting ancestral records,
Is like a fool believing hearsay.
Eyes like hanging bells, purple and bright,
Bulging fully from the sockets, unstartled.
A white thread piercing the pupil means it can travel five hundred li,
Speckles like scattered beans—do not view them the same.
Face like a slanted brick, back like a sickle,
Nose like a golden cup that can hide a fist.
The mouth's cleft must be deep, teeth set far apart,
Tongue like a hanging sword, color like a lotus.
No black mole in the mouth means long life,
Lips like overhanging eaves covering uniformly.
The feed trough broad and clean, cheeks without flesh,
Throat tip flat with tendons forming a barrier.
Ears like willow leaves, shaped from fir and bamboo,
Throat bones high but soft, not hard.
The eight fleshy parts divided and curving left and right,
The dragon meeting high, as passed down from antiquity.
Neck long like a phoenix, must be curved,
Mane fine and downy, should be like silk.
Withers high, shoulders broad, the 'wind-grabbing' part small,
Chest high and broad, forelegs wide apart.
Knees should be high and round like a ball,
Bones fine, tendons thick, joints tightly clustered.
Hooves should be round and solid, standing upright,
Body shape expansive, must be level and broad.
Sinews and bones curved yet must be firm and dense,
Muscles along the saddle thick, steadying the golden saddle.
The three peaks steady and pressing, bones should be hidden,
Lying down like an ape alighting, heavy as a mountain.
The goose-nose, curved or straight, must be stable,
Tail like a shooting star, scattered, not connected.
The fat and sinews, large or small, must be even and strong,
Lower joints gathered tendons tight as a coin.
Goat-beard with spurs like chicken spurs,
Able to gallop and run, can travel a thousand li.
The thirty-two noble marks described above,
Among ten thousand, hard to find one complete.