Learn Chinese Idioms

A Broken Mirror is put together again

In the Northern and Southern Dynasties when the State of Chen (A.D. 557-589) was facing its demise, Xu Deyan, husband of the princess, broke a bronze mirror into halves. Each of them kept a half as tokens in case they were separated. Soon afterwards, they did lose touch with each other, but the two halves of the mirror enabled them to be reunited.

This idiom is used to refer to the reunion of a couple after they lose touch or break up.

pò	jìng	chóng	yuán
破	镜	重	圆

nā
南cháo
朝chén
陈guó
国
(gōng
公yuán
元
5
5
7
-
5
8
9
)jiāng
将yāo
要miè
灭wáng
亡de
的shí
时hòu
候
，fù
驸mǎ
马xú
徐dé
德yán
言bǎ
把yī
一miàn
面tóng
铜jìng
镜pò
破kāi
开
，gēn
跟qī
妻zǐ
子gě
各liú
留xià
下yī
一bàn
半
。shuāng
双fāng
方yāo
约dìng
定
：rú
如guǒ
果jiāng
将lái
来fū
夫qī
妻shī
失sǎn
散le
了
，jiù
就bǎ
把tā
它dāng
当zuō
作xìn
信wù
物
。hòu
后lái
来
，fū
夫qī
妻èr
二rén
人zhēn
真de
的shī
失sǎn
散le
了
，píng
凭jiè
借zhāo
着gě
各rén
人liú
留xià
下de
的bàn
半miàn
面jìng
镜zǐ
子
，tā
他men
们zuì
最zhōng
终yòu
又dé
得dào
到tuán
团yuán
圆
。