Literal translation
He has kindness on his face.
Meaning
kindness is written on his face
Explanation
This expression attributes to a moral trait, bounta, kindness, an immediate physical visibility, as though it could be read directly on the person's features, la figuro, the face, with no need to know the person to perceive their benevolent nature. The construction sus la figuro, on the face, assumes a transparency of character written into the features, a habitual expression or physiognomy that betrays, at once and without a word, the inner disposition. The expression belongs to a widespread tradition treating the face as the mirror of the soul, where certain features, a gentle gaze, the shape of the mouth, are read as outward signs of an inner moral quality. It belongs to a family of Provençal expressions about character that, like a lou cor sus la man, place a moral quality on a specific part of the body to make it visible and immediate. It is said in ordinary, warm register, generally when speaking of someone whose kindness is perceived from the very first glance.