The ears, the fifth and last of the five officers, carry the name Collector Officer, cai ting guan, the officer of gathering and listening, and they are read for a period of life none of the other four officers or twelve palaces claims as directly, early childhood, roughly the first fourteen years, before a person has had the chance to build the career, marriage or accumulated fortune most of the system's other readings assess. Reading the ears is therefore reading backward toward inheritance and constitution rather than forward toward achievement, closer in spirit to the Upper Court's own claim about early life than to most of the officer readings, which more often assess present character or capacity.
Large, thick, well formed ears set high on the head with a full lobe are read as a sign of a fortunate, well provided childhood and long life, while small, thin or low set ears are read as a caution about a harder start in life. The ears' position at the very edge of the face, furthest from the central cluster of nose, eyes and mouth the other officers occupy, matches their reading of a life stage furthest from the present moment a reading typically happens, childhood already behind an adult subject by the time anyone examines their face.