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破镜重圆 (pò jìng chóng yuán) — reconciliation of estranged individuals (especially a married couple)

Definition

A chengyu meaning a broken mirror is put back together — a poetic way to say two estranged people (especially a married couple) get back together.

idiom
reconciliation of estranged individuals (especially a married couple)

Examples

  • ，破镜重圆。
    Tā men fū qī jīng guò duō nián de lěng zhàn, zhōng yú pò jìng chóng yuán le.
    After years of cold war, the couple finally reconciled.
  • 破镜重圆，。
    Péng you zhī jiān chǎo jià hòu yě néng pò jìng chóng yuán, zhǐ yào zhēn xīn yuán liàng duì fāng.
    Friends can also make up after a quarrel, as long as they sincerely forgive each other.
  • 破镜重圆，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī xī wàng yǔ jiù huǒ bàn pò jìng chóng yuán, chóng xīn kāi shǐ hé zuò.
    This company hopes to reconcile with its old partner and start cooperating again.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

破镜broken mirror
破pòbroken镜jìngmirror
偏正Modifier + head
重圆become whole again
重zhòngagain圆yuánround
偏正Modifier + head

破镜 (broken mirror) and 重圆 (become whole again) picture an estranged couple reuniting.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí破pò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

破 has 石 (stone) as its meaning part and 皮 as its sound part.

Open 破 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鏡; 镜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
竟
竟jìng鏡jìng
Same sound today

The traditional form 鏡 puts 金, metal, next to 竟 to give the sound. The simplified 镜 is a later shorthand.

Open 镜 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng重zhòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 圓; 圆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
員
員yuán圓yuán
Same sound today

This is about the traditional form 圓, not the simplified 圆. In 圓, 囗 surrounds 員, and the inner part of 員 is an old circle picture.

Open 圆 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesRomance & Marriage

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