Author: Yoon-Ngan CHUNG
Date: 02-09-02 03:30
Chinese idiomatic story (6)
Reunion Through A Broken Mirror
破 鏡 重 圓 (Po4 Jing4 Chog2 Yuan2
Po4 means: broken
Jing4 means: mirror
Chong2 means: again
Yuan2 means: round
(Chong2-Yuan2) means:reunion
During the period of North and South Dynasties (南北朝時代 317AD to 581AD).
China was divided into sixteen Kingdoms. In 581AD, like the First Emperor of
the Qin Dyansty (221BC to 207BC), Yang Jian (楊堅) unified the land what we
now call China into one country. Yang Jian established the Sui Dynasty
(隋朝 581AD to 618AD).
Before Yang Jian conquered the Kingdom of Chen (陳王朝 557AD to 589AD
in present day Southeastern part of China) it was ruled by Chen Ba Xian (陳霸先
whose capital was in Jian Kang (建康 present day Nanjing 南京 in Jiangsu
province 江蘇省).
In 589AD Yang Jian invaded the Kingdom of Chen and his troops were breaking through the Chen's defence and entering the capital. Xu De Yan (徐德言), the husband of princess Yue Chang (樂昌) who was the younger sister of Chen Ba Xian, knew that the Chen Kingdom was about to come to an end. Xu De Yan knew that he and his wife would be separated becauese she was the princess of Chen and she could be arrested by the new ruler. Xu De Yan thought that, once his wife was arrsted, he would never see his wife again. Xu De Yan did not know what to do.
Princess Yue Chang used to look at the mirror and said to herself that she was not beautiful. Many a time she asked her husband,
" Why did you marry me as I am not as beautiful as other girls?.
Did you marry me for fame because I am a princess?"
Xu De Yan would reply that he married her because he loved her.
The troops of Yang Jian entered the Chen capital, Jian Kang, and captured
Chen Ba Xian, the King of Chen. Yang Jian's soldiers were rounding up the
royal members of the Chen Court. and they were on the way to Xu De Yan's
house to arrest the princess. As the soldiers entered his house Xu De Yan and
his wife were in panic. In a great haste she broke a mirror into two pieces. The princess gave him one piece and she kept the other piece by herself. She told her husband that if they ever survive all the perils they would use the two pieces
of this broken mirror to identify themselves as husband and wife.
While the soldiers were entering the house from the front door they escaped through the back door. There were many people in the streets. Some of them
were crying and screamming and many of them were rushing and running
about. Xu De Yan and his wife were trying to stick together but the princess
got lost in the crowd.
With a broken heart and the half piece of the broken mirror Xu De Yan went back
to his village and lived there with his mother. Day and night he was looking at the broken mirror and longing for his wife. He lost his will to live. His mother told him
to remarry but he did not agree with her.
A few years later Xu De Yan decided to go and look for his wife. He travelled northwest to Da Xing (大興, present day Xi An city 西安市 in Shaanxi province
陜西省). Yang Jian had founded the Sui Dynasty and established his capital in
Da Xing which was a long way from Jian Kang. With determination Xu De Yan arrived in Da Xing.
Xu De Yan searched high and low all over the city of Da Xing for his wife. He
had been searching for a long time. He knew that his wife was somewhere in
the city as he heard from friends back in Jian Kang that the Sui authority had transported many the captured maids from the Kingdom of Chen to Da Xing.
His wife could be among the captured maids.
One day, he saw a group of people watching an old man selling a broken mirror
in the market. People thought that he was mad because he was selling it for ten taels of gold. He had been selling it for a long time and yet nobody wanted to buy
a broken mirror for such a price. Day in day and day out people saw him calling out,
" Broken mirror for sale for ten taels of gold".
Curious about the old man, Xu De Yan went near him and wanted to find out what sort of broken mirror he was selling. Xu De Yan was shocked and surprised
to see him selling his wife's half of the broken mirror. He told the old man that he wanted to buy the broken mirror. All the people who were watchimg them burst out laughing and shouting,
"Come and see. Here is another mad man.
He is buying the old man's broken mirror for ten taels of gold".
Xu De Yan asked the old man why was he selling the broken mirror for such a
high price. Xu De Yan showed the old man the other half of the broken mirror.
The old man knew he was the husband of the owner of his broken half of mirror.
The old man told Xu De Yan that a dancer in the hotel paid him to sell the broken mirror in the market every day. The old man said that the dancer wanted him to
sell it for ten taels of gold and whoever wanted to but it must be the husband of her. So the old man took him to the hotel.
True enough, Xu De Yan met his wife, the former Yue Chang princess, in the hotel. Husband and wife were reunited happily. They returned to the south and lived
happily ever after
古今詩話﹕
南北朝時代﹐南朝陳國徐德言
夫婦各執破鏡﹐分離後再復合。
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reserved 2002
Yoon-Ngan CHUNG
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