破鏡

See also: 破镜

Chinese

		to break; to split; broken to break; to split; broken; damaged; worn out	mirror; lens
trad. (破鏡)		破	鏡
simp. (破镜)		破	镜

Etymology

ferocious beast that eats its own father

Earliest extant attestation is in Book of Han. Related to 獍 (jìng, “a mythical tiger-like animal that eats its own mother shortly after birth”), attested in 《述異記》 Tales of Strange Matters ([late 5th century]) by 任昉 Ren Fang.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): pòjìng

  (Zhuyin): ㄆㄛˋ ㄐㄧㄥˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): po³ geng³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: pòjìng
    • Zhuyin: ㄆㄛˋ ㄐㄧㄥˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: pòjìng
    • Wade–Giles: pʻo⁴-ching⁴
    • Yale: pwò-jìng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: pohjinq
    • Palladius: поцзин (poczin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕiŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: po³ geng³
    • Yale: po geng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: po³ geng³
    • Guangdong Romanization: po³ géng³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰɔː³³ kɛːŋ³³/

Noun

破鏡

1. (literally) broken mirror
2. parting of a married couple
3. (literary) waning moon; quarter moon; half-moon
4. (Chinese mythology) pojing, a ferocious beast that eats its own father

   alt. forms: 破獍 (pòjìng)

Derived terms

• 破鏡重圓／破镜重圆 (pòjìngchóngyuán)