On the eve of the Chen dynasty's fall, Xu Deyan knew his wife — Princess Lechang, sister of the emperor — would be taken by the conquerors. She was too beautiful, too royal, to be left behind.
He took their bronze mirror and broke it in two. He kept one half; she took the other. "If we are truly meant to meet again," he said, "these halves will be our proof. Sell your half in the marketplace of the capital on the fifteenth of the first month. I will find you."
The kingdom fell. Princess Lechang was taken into the household of Yang Su, one of the most powerful men in the new Sui dynasty. She became his concubine.
Each year, on the fifteenth of the first month, Xu Deyan — now a beggar, traveling on foot — came to the capital and walked through the marketplace, searching. One day, he saw an old servant selling half a mirror at an exorbitant price. He recognized it immediately. He showed his half. They matched.
Xu Deyan wrote a poem and sent it to the princess through the servant. When Yang Su learned the story, he was so moved that he summoned Xu Deyan, returned the princess, and gave them both gifts. The broken mirror was whole again.
陈太子舍人徐德言之妻，后主叔宝之妹，封乐昌公主，才色冠绝。德言知国破家亡不能相保，谓其妻曰：「以君之才容，国亡必入权豪之家。倘情缘未断，犹得相见，宜有物以为信。」乃破一镜，各执其半。
陈太子舍人徐德言之妻，后主叔宝之妹，封乐昌公主，才色冠绝。德言知国破家亡不能相保，谓其妻曰：「以君之才容，国亡必入权豪之家。倘情缘未断，犹得相见，宜有物以为信。」乃破一镜，各执其半。
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
Love that keeps faith across years of separation, poverty, and powerlessness is stronger than any palace wall. The broken mirror reunites because neither half forgets the other.
The phrase "破镜重圆" (the broken mirror reunites) became the Chinese idiom for the reunion of separated lovers — especially married couples. The image is powerful: a mirror, once broken, can never be truly repaired. But these two halves, kept faithful across years and kingdoms, fit together perfectly.
Yang Su's gesture is also notable. He was the conqueror, the new power, the man who held all the cards. He could have refused. Instead, he recognized that the bond between husband and wife was stronger than his claim. Even a tyrant, it seems, can be moved by a love that refuses to die.