HANDS, HARD AND SOFT

 Even in the simple act of shaking hands, one can form conclusions about character.

 

Beware of any man or woman whose hand seems to slip from yours when you grasp theirs in greeting. Such persons are deceptive¹ and treacherous². They may smile at you with their lips, but instinctively³ they regard you as their prey⁴ and will only use you for their own object.

 

A soft, fat hand is the indication of an indolent and more or less lazy person.

 

A firm hand is the sign of an energetic, reliable nature.

 

A very thin hand denotes a restless energetic disposition,[Pg xii] but one that is given to worry, and fretting⁵ and is generally discontented.

 

A thin hand that feels listless in one's grasp denotes a weak constitution that has only sufficient energy to live.

 

A cold, clammy hand is also a sign of poor health, but generally that of a very sensitive and nervous person.

 

A person who keeps his hands closed while talking, is distrustful in his nature, has little self-reliance and can seldom be relied on by others.

 

A man or woman who gives a good firm grasp of the hand, is self-confident, energetic, and generally reliable.

 

When all the fingers (especially if the fingers be long) are seen always clinging, sticking, as it were, or folding over one another it denotes very doubtful qualities in the nature of their possessor and a decided⁶ tendency towards thieving and general lack of moral principal.

 

Remember that the hands are the immediate⁷ servants or instruments of the brain. There are more motive⁸ and sensory⁹ nerves from the brain to the hand than to any other portion of the body and, whether sleeping or waking, they continually and unconsciously reflect the thought and character of the mind or soul of the individual.

 

It will, then, be seen from these observations that without looking at the lines of the hand, one may be able to obtain certain details of character that are more trustworthy than those given by the face, and that these rules, if followed, should be of the greatest assistance and value to people in all walks of life.

 

Many of these observations are further amplified[Pg xiii] in subsequent chapters of this work. There is not a single one of these rules that has not been proved by me in my long professional career, and knowing that they will bear the strictest inquiry¹⁰ and observation, it gives me pleasure now to offer them to the readers of the American Edition of Palmistry for All.

 

Cheiro.

 

London.

1 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

2 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

3 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

5 fretting   

n. 微振磨损 adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的

参考例句：

• Fretting about it won't help. 苦恼于事无补。
• The old lady is always fretting over something unimportant. 那位老妇人总是为一些小事焦虑不安。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

9 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

10 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。