Is his lips are pale a metaphor?

"His lips are pale" is not inherently a metaphor. It's a literal description of someone's physical appearance.

However, it can be used figuratively in a few ways:

* Symbolism: Pale lips can symbolize things like illness, fear, or emotional distress.

* Metaphor: It could be used as a metaphor for something else entirely. For example: "His lips were pale, the color drained from his face by the news." Here, "pale lips" could be a metaphor for the shock and sadness he felt.

To determine if it's a metaphor, you need to consider the context of the phrase. What is the surrounding text saying? What is the overall message the author is trying to convey?