南北朝時陳太子舍人名叫徐德言，
娶了那樂昌公主為妻是美滿姻緣。
陳後主這個妹妹生得美，
徐德言樂極生悲思緒亂。
他相信“自古紅顏多薄命”，
最害怕好夫妻中途會拆散。
公主說：“你的擔心沒來由，
俺也不會把你怨。
萬一是今後我們真分離，
我這兒有一麵鏡子人各半。
分離後若要再相會，
元宵節賣鏡再團圓。”
太子點頭連稱好，
謹將妻言記心間。
不久後果然災難起，
鄰邦之間起征戰。
夫妻分鏡，各人懷裏揣一半。
別時互囑不負約，
然後相別揮淚散。
到後來，隋文帝滅陳擄後主，
公主她被擄進宰相楊素深庭院。
老楊素隨文帝一起平天下，
當時權勢非一般。
自從得到公主後，
十分寵愛當心肝。
可是這公主從來不高興，
時刻惦念前夫徐德言。
到後來德言也流落到京都，
元宵節專去把燈觀。
拿出了珍藏的半麵鏡，
高聲呼喊要賣大錢。
他在市上賣破鏡，
一時京城作笑談。
這話傳到宰相府，
樂昌公主又是歡喜又心酸。
立派一人帶破鏡，
去對徐郎那半麵。
德言見鏡樂無比，
隨手書寫詩一篇。
公主見了德言詩，
立時哭成淚人般。
楊素知道這件事，
願把二人再成全。
親自召來徐德言，
盛情款待設酒宴。
也命公主作一詩，
於是二人得團圓。
這成語，比喻那夫妻離散又團聚，
好比那破鏡得重圓。
A Broken Mirror Joined Together
In the Southern and Northern Dynasties（420—589A。D。），Prince Chen had a follower named Xu Deyan，who took Princess Lechang as his wife and it was a marriage made in heaven。Princess Lechang，Prince Chen's younger sister was a real beauty，Xu Deyan thereby was too happy to feel at ease。He believed in the saying that misfortune favours the smart，and feared husband and wife would be torn apart。The princess said，“You are worrying about nothing。In case we'll be going different ways，here，I've got a broken mirror that we each have half of。Should we meet again，one of us would be selling it on the first-month-fifteenth Lantern Festival。”
Deyan nodded his approval，and carefully kept the promise at the back of his mind。Before long a hazard hit them head on。A war broke out between his and the neighbouring state。Husband and wife took the mirror halves one each and put them in their bosoms。On departure they took oaths not to break the promise，with tears welling up in their eyes。