破は鏡きょう

noun

broken mirror

Literal meaning: a mirror that is physically broken.

• 古ふるい家いえの床ゆかに破は鏡きょうが落おちていた。

  A broken mirror lay on the floor of the old house.

noun

marital separation; divorce

Figurative use derived from the idea of a broken mirror representing a split between husband and wife. Often used in literary or formal contexts.

• 二人ふたりの仲なかは破は鏡きょうの如ごとく、もはや修しゅう復ふくできなかった。

  Their relationship was like a broken mirror, beyond repair.

noun

partially eclipsed moon

Rare, poetic term for a moon that is partially obscured, likened to a broken mirror.

• 古こ典てんでは、欠かけた月つきを破は鏡きょうと表ひょう現げんすることがある。

  In classical literature, a partially eclipsed moon is sometimes called 破鏡.