经典英语文章片段

在 英语学习 中,阅读能力是学习者发展 其它 语言能力(听、说、写、译)的基础。下面是我带来的经典英语好 文章 摘抄，欢迎阅读!经典英语好文章摘抄篇一 Change Makes Life Beautiful(生命美于变化) To regard all things and principles of things as inconstant modes or fashions has more and more become the tendency of modern thought. Let us begin with that which is without——our physical life. Fix upon it in one of its more exquisite intervals，the moment，for instance，of delicious recoil from the flood of water in summer heat. What is the whole physical life in that moment but a combination of natural elements to which science gives their names?But these elements，phosphorus and lime and delicate fibers，are present not in the human body alone：we detect them in places most remote from it. Our physical life is a perpetual motion of them——the passage of the blood，the wasting and repairing of the lenses of the eye，the modification of the tissues of the brain under every ray of light and sound-processes which science reduces to simpler and more elementary forces. Like the elements of which we are composed，the action of these forces extends beyond us：it rusts iron and ripens corn. Far out on every side of us those elements are broadcast，driven in many currents;and birth and gesture and death and the springing of violets from the grave are but a few out of ten thousand resultant combinations. That clear，perpetual outline of face and limb is but an image of ours，under which we group them a design in a web，the actual threads of which pass out beyond it. This at least of flame——like our life has，that it is but the concurrence，renewed from moment to moment，of forces parting sooner or later on their ways. 生命美于变化 将所有事物和事物的原则统统归结为经常变化着的形态或风尚，这已日益成为近代思想界的一个趋势。我们可以从我们的生理活动等表面的事情说起。举个例子来说，选定在酷暑中猛然浸入滔滔清流的一刹那和感觉极其愉快的这么一个微妙的时刻。在那一瞬间的所有生理活动，难道不可以说是具有科学名称的各种元素的一种化合作用吗?但是，像磷、石灰、微细的纤维质等这些元素，不仅存在于人体之中，而且在与人体没有丝毫关系的地方也能检查出它们的存在。血液的流通，眼睛中水晶体的消耗和恢复，每一道光波、每一次声浪对于脑组织所引起的变异——都不外是这些元素永久的运动。但是科学把这些运动过程还原为更为简单和基本力量的作用。正如我们身体所赖以构成的元素所形成的我们的生理活动的力量，这些力量在我们身体以外也同样发挥着作用——它可以使铁生锈，使谷物成熟。这些元素，在种种气流吹送之下，从我们身外向四面八方传播：人的诞生，人的姿态，人的死亡，以及在人的坟头上生长出紫罗兰——这不过是成千上万化合结果的点滴例子而已。人类那轮廓分明、长久不变的面颜和肢体，不过是一种表象，在它那框架之内，我们好把种种化合的元素凝聚一团——这好像是蛛网的纹样，那织网的细丝从网中穿出，又引向他方。在这一点上，我们的生命有些像那火焰——它也是种种力量汇合的结果，这汇合虽不断延续，那些力量却早晚要各自飘散。 经典英语好文章摘抄篇二 The Date Father Didn’t Keep (父亲失约) It happened in one of those picturesque Danish taverns that cater to tourists and where English is spoken. I was with my father on a business-and-pleasure trip，and in our leisure hours we were having a wonderful time. “It‘s a pity your mother couldn’t come，”said Father.“It would be wonderful to show her around.” He had visited Denmark when he was a young man. I asked him，“How long is it since you were here?” “Oh，about 30 years. I remember being in this very inn，by the way.”He looked around，remembering. “Those were gracious days-”He stopped suddenly，and I saw that his face was pale. I followed his eyes and looked across the room to a woman who was setting a tray of drinks before some customers. She might have been pretty once，but now she was stout and her hair was untidy.“Do you know her?”I asked…… “I did once，”he said. The woman come to our table.“Drinks?”she inquired. “We‘ll have beer，”I said. She nodded and went away. “How she has changed!Thank heaven she didn‘t recognize me，”muttered Father mopping his face with a handkerchief.“I know her before I ever met your mother，”he went on.“I was a student，on a tour. She was a lovely young thing，very graceful. I fell madly in live with her，and she with me.” “Does Mother know about her?”I blurted out，resentfully. “Of course，”Father said gently. He looked at me a little anxiously. I felt embarrassed for him. I said，“Dad，you don‘t have to-” “Oh，yes，I want to tell you. I don‘t want you wondering about this. Her father objected to our romance. I was a foreigner. I had no prospects，and was dependent on my father. When I wrote Father that I wanted to get married he cut off my allowance. And I had to go home. But I met the girl once more，and told her I would return to America，borrow enough money to get married on，and come back for her in a few months.” “We know，”he continued，“that her father might intercept a letter，so we agreed that I would simply mail her a slip of paper with a date on it，the time she was to meet me at a certain place;then we‘d married. Well，I went home，got the loan and sent her the date. She received the note. She wrote me：”I’ll be there.“But she wasn‘t. Then I found that she had been married about two weeks before，to a local innkeeper. She hadn’t waited.” Then my father said，“Thank God she didn‘t. I went home，met your mother，and we’ve been completely happy. We often joke about that youthful love romance.” The woman appeared with our beer. “You are from America?”she asked me. “Yes，”I said. She beamed.“A wonderful country，America.” “Yes，a lot of your countrymen have gone there. Did you ever think of it?” “Not me. Not now，”she said.“I think so one time，a ling time ago. But I stay here. I much better here.” We drank our beer and left. Outside I said，“Father，just how did you write that date on which she was to meet you?” He stopped，took out an envelope and wrote on it.“Like this，”he said.“12/11/73，which was，of course，December 11，1973.” “No!”I exclaimed.“It isn‘t in Denmark or any European country. Over here they write the day first，then the month. So that date wouldn’t be December 11 but the 12th of November!” Father passed his hand over his face.“So she was there!”he exclaimed.“And it was because I didn‘t show up that she got married.”He was silent a while.“Well，”he said.，“I hope she’s happy. She seems be.” As we resumed walking I blurted out，“It is a lucky thing it happened that way. You wouldn‘t have met Mother.” He put his arm around my shoulders，looked at me with a heart-warming smile，and said，“I was doubly lucky，young fellow，for otherwise I wouldn‘t have met you，either!” 经典英语好文章摘抄篇三 改变一生的邂逅 Isn‘t it amazing how one person，sharing one idea，at the right time and place can change the course of your life’s history?This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14，I was hitchhiking from Houston，Texas，through El Paso on my way to California. I was following my dream，journeying with the sun. I was a high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the biggest waves in the world，first in California and then in Hawaii，where I would later live. Upon reaching downtown El Paso，I met an old man，a bum，on the street corner. He saw me walking，stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked me if I was running away from home，I suppose because I looked so young. I told him，“Not exactly，sir，”since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in Houston and given me his blessings while saying，“It is important to follow your dream and what is in your heart. Son.” The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him，“No，sir，but a soda would be great.”We walked to a corner malt shop and sat down on a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks. After conversing for a few minutes，the friendly bum told me to follow him. He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library. We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here the bum spoke to a smiling old lady，and asked her if she would be kind enough to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered into this magnificent hall of learning. The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a moment while he looked for something special amongst the shelves. A few moments later，he returned with a couple of old books under his arms and set them on the table. He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said，“There are two things that I want to teach you，young man，and they are these： “Number one is to never judge a book by its cover，for a cover can fool you.”He followed with，“I bet you think I‘m a bum，don’t you，young man?” I said，“Well，uh，yes，I guess so，sir.” “Well，young man，I‘ve got a little surprise for you. I am one of the wealthiest men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. I originally come from the Northeast and have all the things that money can buy. But a year ago，my wife passed away，bless her soul，and since then I have been deeply reflecting upon life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life，one of which was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. I made a commitment to myself to do exactly that for one year. For the past year，I have been going from city to city doing just that. So，you see，don’t ever judge a book by its cover，for a cover can fool you. “Number two is to learn how to read，my boy. For there is only one thing that people can t take away from you，and that is your wisdom.”At that moment，he reached forward，grabbed my right hand in his and put them upon the books he‘d pulled from the shelves. They were the writings of Plato and Aristotle-immortal classics from ancient times. The bum then led me back past the smiling old woman near the entrance，down the steps and back on the streets near where we first met. His parting request was for me to never forget what he taught me.

因为没有很好的英语环境,所以学生听力困难,语感不佳,口语表达很不地道,满口的中式英语。下面是我带来的优美经典的英语段落，欢迎阅读!

优美经典的英语段落精选

Hawaii

For many years, Hawaii has been a magic name to people who like to travel. The beaches there are the best in the world /and the waves are the highest. And the weather is neither too hot nor too cold all the year around. The water is very clear, too. It’s too wonderful for people to do water sports there, just like surfing, diving, water-skiing or swimming. Especially surfing there is so exciting that many surfers and travelers from all over the world are attracted every year.

People on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, in Japan and in America, dream of seeing these beautiful islands in the middle of ocean. They also want to see sunset over the ocean. In the tropical lands, the sun drops like a ball of golden fire into the sea, and it drop so quickly that you can almost see it move. People often have a quiet, peaceful time here, perfect for a leisurely walk along the water.

The first people came to Hawaii nearly two thousand years ago, but skyscraper hotels were only built in the last 25 years. Now yet airplanes make it possible to fly to Hawaii for a weekend from Tokyo or San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Wherever people come from, they really want to see the original beauty of Hawaii.

Brave Mother

Liza, a middle-aged woman, went to prepare lunch, leaving Barney

优美经典的英语段落大全

Love Your Life

However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The faultfinder will find faults in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms-house as brightly as from the rich man's abode; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there, and have as cheering thoughts, as in a palace. The town's poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any. May be they are simply great enough to receive without misgiving. Most think that they are above being supported by the town; but it often happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means. Which should be more disreputable. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends, Turn the old, return to them. Things do not change; we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.

优美经典的英语段落欣赏

美丽的微笑

A Smile is A Gift That Anyone Can Give It costs nothing, but saves much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash, and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich that he can get along without it; none so poor that he is not enriched by it. It creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sick, and nature's best antidote for trouble. It cannot be bought, borrowed, or stolen, for it is no earthly good to anyone until it is given away. If you meet someone too burdened with grief or worry to smile, just give him one of yours. For nobody needs a smile so much as he who has none left to give.

微笑不需要花费你一分钱，但却能带来很多。 它使那些得到它的人富有，却不会使付出它的人贫穷。 它发生在一瞬间，但它的记忆有时却是永恒的。 如果人们可以没有微笑，那么，无论拥有什么都会觉得贫穷。如果人们无法因此而丰富，那么就没有什么比这更贫穷了。 微笑为家庭到来欢笑，为工作增添善意，是友谊的象征。 它是缓解疲劳的良药，是征服气馁的日光，是治疗疾病的阳光，是自然界中战胜困难的灵丹妙药。 它不能买，不能借，也不能偷，因为在它被给予他人之前是毫无用处的。 如果你遇见某人被悲伤和焦虑压得喘不过气来，只要给他一个微笑就行。 因为当一个人无法再给予微笑的时候，他比任何时候都需要微笑!

优美经典的英语段落汇总

青春

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust. Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite for what's next in the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station: so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young. When the aerials are down,and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at 80.

青春不是年华，而是心境;青春不是桃面、丹唇、柔膝，而是深沉的意志，恢宏的想象，炙热的恋情;青春是生命的深泉在涌流。 青春气贯长虹，勇锐盖过怯弱，进取压倒苟安。如此锐气，二十后生而有之，六旬男子则更多见。年岁有加，并非垂老，理想丢弃，方堕暮年。 岁月悠悠，衰微只及肌肤;热忱抛却，颓废必致灵魂。忧烦，惶恐，丧失自信，定使心灵扭曲，意气如灰。 无论年届花甲，拟或二八芳龄，心中皆有生命之欢乐，奇迹之诱惑，孩童般天真久盛不衰。人人心中皆有一台天线，只要你从天上人间接受美好、希望、欢乐、勇气和力量的信号，你就青春永驻，风华常存。 一旦天线下降，锐气便被冰雪覆盖，玩世不恭、自暴自弃油然而生，即使年方二十，实已垂垂老矣;然则只要树起天线，捕捉乐观信号，你就有望在八十高龄告别尘寰时仍觉年轻。

经典 文章 和 寓言 故事 中蕴含着丰富的人生道理,远胜过一般人苦口婆心的说教。下面是我带来的经典英语文章段落，欢迎阅读!

经典英语文章段落欣赏

枪口

The Muzzles

徐光兴

Xu Quangxing

官复原职的N省建材局杨局长和李秘书，走在篙草丛生、芦荻疏落的湖边。“烟中列峋青无数，雁背夕阳红欲暮。”西风，秋水，雁阵，衔着落日的远山，交融在一起，更增添打猎者的无限兴致。

Yang had just been sent back to his former post, Chief of the Provincial Building Material Bureau. Later one afternoon he was walking with Secretary Li, hunting beside the lake where wormwood grew abundantly among scattered reeds. There were seemingly endless green mountain ranges stretching into thin mist, and wild geese silhouetted against the glow of the setting sun. An autumn stream ruffled by the west wind, and the lines of wild geese set against the background of distant mountains embracing the sinking sun, harmoniously merged to enhance the joy of the hunters.

“嘎——”传来一声水禽被惊动的鸣叫。杨局长从李秘书手里接过一支崭新的猎枪，爱抚地摸了一下。它是双筒枪管，枪身瓦蓝铮亮，枪口黑黝黝的，有一股逼人的寒气。货三十多年前他打游击时，也没拿到过这样的枪。

"Quack!” came the cry o# a startled water bird. Bureau Chief Yang took the brand-new hunting gun from Secretary L and caressed it with affection. It was a double-barreled shotgun with a shining blue body and a pair of chilling black muzzles. He had never held such a fine weapon, not even in those days of guerrilla warfare thirty years before.

“吱嘎——嘎呷”，从附近湖面的荷梗残苇中，窜出几只白颈黄蹼、羽毛灰麻麻的水鸭子，在空中扑腾乱飞，惊悸声声。赶着猎狗的捕猎社员，也悄悄地摸到这儿。好几支猎枪的枪口，同时瞄准了这些空中猎物。

"Quack! Quack!" Out fluttered into the air several grey-feathered ducks with white necks and yellow webbed feet. The commune hunters stole to the lakeside, their hounds at their heels. Several muzzles at once aimed at the fleeing birds in the air.

“砰——”老杨开枪了。一缕白烟消散，一只水鸭子像断线的风筝，从半空中坠下。

"Bang!" Old Yang fired. A wisp of white smoke dispersed to reveal a duck falling from the sky like a stringless kite.

“打中喽，打中喽!杨局长，你真不愧是当年游击队里的神枪手。”李秘书像个孩子似的跳着嚷着，奔过去捡猎获物。

"You've scored a hit! Chief Yang, you did deserve to be called the crackshot in the guerrilla warfare days!" Secretary Li jumped and shouted with joy like a child and rushed to pick up the shot bird.

老杨只是“嘿嘿”笑了几声，拍着枪连声说：“好枪，好枪!”

Old Yang chuckled, patted the gun and said, “ Excel lent shotgun! Excellent indeed!"

他俩朝熄了引擎的黑色小轿车走去。老杨说：“老王这家伙，介绍的地点还蛮不错呢。”

As they were walking to the waiting black car, Old Yang remarked, “That fellow Wang recommended a fairly good spot to us for hunting.”

李秘书试探地凑上前去说：“他是您的老部下嘛。这次他请您批50吨建材物资给他……”

Seizing the opportunity, Secretary Li cut in probingly, “He used to be your subordinate, didn't he? This time Ws asked you to grant him 50 tons of building material . . .

“你不要为他做说客。不批，半个字也不批;针尖大的洞，也会刮进斗大的风。咱党员干部，那歪门邪道不要搞。”他停了一下，朝烟波迷茫、水天一色的湖面瞧去。“好景致，可惜婷儿没有同来。”

"Don't you ever try to talk me into consenting on his behalf. I won't agree, not or any account! A tiny opening will let in a gust of wind. We Party cadres should not engage in any under-the-counter business." Yang stopped to glance over the misty lake where the water joined the sky. "What a nice view! It's a pity that my daughter Ting hasn't come with us, " he concluded.

“她今天有更高兴的事儿。”李秘书故作神秘地笑笑说，“王主任托了 文化 局的老马，同意把您的女儿调到省实验话剧团工作。”

"There is something nicer in store for her today," Secretary Li smiled with an air of mystery and went on. "Director Wang has managed to get your daughter transferred to the Provincial Drama Troupe with the help of Old Ma of the Cutural Bureau. "

“嗯?”老杨的眉毛拧了个结。李秘书只当没察觉，坐进轿车，手扶在车门上，仿佛自言自语地说：“就拿这辆车来说吧，也是王主任出力调拨给您的。那回大姐犯病进院，还多亏这辆车接送。”

"Really?" Old Yang knitted his brows. Secretary Li pretended not to notice it and got into the car, and with his hand still on the door, murmured as if to himself, "As for this car, it was allocated to you through the effort of Director Wang too. When your wife fell ill, she was rushed to hospital in the same car. "

“该死，早把我当猎物给瞄上了。”他下意识地摄紧枪把想。李秘书一眼溜到枪上，像又想起什么说：“王主任知道您喜欢打猎，这支猎枪，就是他特意托人专程送到您家的……”

"Damn it? I have long been aimed at as a target!" Old Yang thought as he subconsciously tightened his gasp on the shotgun. Secretary Li took a swift glance at the gun, and seeming to have been reminded of something, said, "Director Wang knew that you were fond of hunting, so he had this shotgun sent especially to your home. . ."

车发动了。老杨陡然一惊，不觉倒抽一口冷气：黑黝黝双筒枪口，冒着寒气，就像两只黑洞洞的眼睛，死死地瞄准了他……

The engine started. Old Yang was taken aback and couldn't help drawing his breath sharply. The chilling black muzzles glared coldly at him lust like a pair of black eves.

经典英语文章段落赏析

鸲鹆

The Story of a Myna

蒲松龄

Pu Songling

王汾滨言：其乡有养八哥者，教以语言，甚押习，出游必与之俱，相将数年矣。一日，将过绛州，而资斧已罄，其人愁苦无策。鸟云：“何不告我?送我王邸，当得善价，不愁归路无资也。”其人云：“我安忍。”鸟言：“不妨。主人得价疾行，待我城西二十里大树下。”其人从之。携至城，相问答，观者渐众。有中贵见之，闻诸王。王召入，欲买之。其人日：“小人相依为命，不愿卖。”王问鸟：“汝愿住否?”言：“愿住。”王喜。鸟又言：“给价十金，勿多予。”王益喜，立界十金。其人故作懊恨状而去。王与鸟言，应对便捷。呼肉淡之。食已，鸟曰：“臣要浴。”王命金盆贮水，开笼令浴。浴已，飞檐间，梳翎抖羽，尚与王喋喋不休。顷之，羽燥，翩趾而起，操晋声曰：“臣去呀!”顾盼已失所在。王及内侍，仰面咨磋。急觅其人，则已渺矣。后有往秦中者，见其人携鸟在西安市上。毕载积先生记。

Wang Fenbin said that in his village there was a man who had a myna. He trained it to speak and they got attached to each other. Wherever he went he took it with him. They had been together for years. When he was arriving at 3iangraou one day, he found that tie had run out of money. He was upset, riot knowing what to do. The myna said, "Why not sell me? Take me to the prefect and you can sell me for a good price and traveling expenses will be no problem." The man said, "I can't bear to sell you." The myna said, "That's nothing. As soon as you get the money, get away from here quickly and wait for me under a big tree about twenty R west of town." The man took its advice. Re went to town with the bird, engaging it in brief conversations. Soon they attracted marry onlookers. The steward of the prefect saw the bird and told the prefect about it. The prefect summoned the man to his house and he wanted to buy the bird. The man said, "We depend on each other for survival. I cannot sell it to you." The prefect asked the bird, "Do you like to stay with me?" The bird answered, "Yes, I do." The prefect was delighted to hear it. Then the bird said again, "Give him ten liang of silver and no more." The prefect was all the more delighted. He gave the man ten hang of silver. The man left, with a feigned look of dejection. The prefect asked the bird questions and the bind answered with great readiness. He ordered to give it meat to eat. The moment it finished the meat, the bird said, "I want to take a bath." The prefect ordered to bring a gold basin, fill it with water, open the cage and let it bathe in it. When the bath was over, the bird flew up to the eave where it shook off the water and trimmed its plumage, in the meantime, chattering away with the prefect. In another moment its plumage was dried and the bird fluttered up, saying in the local accent, "I am going, sir, " When they looked up to gee, the bird was out of sight. The prefect and his servants could do nothing but sigh toward the sky. When servants were sent to look for the birdman he was nowhere to be found. Later someone, traveling to Shaanxi, saw the man with his bird in Xi' an. This story is told by Mr. Bi Zaiji.

经典英语文章段落品析

铜镜

The Bronze Mirror

我们在参观博物馆时，常常看到各种古代铜镜。它是我国古代人民用来整容的家庭日用品。这些铜镜大多是从古墓中出土的，也有少数是传世之物。

Whenever we visit a museum, we see various types of ancient bronze mirrors. Used as a household necessity for dressing by the ancient Chinese people, these bronze mirrors were mostly unearthed from ancient tombs, while some are kept as heirlooms.

早在公元前11世纪，我国先民已经使用铜镜了。战国时期，铜镜在民间盛行。镜的正面磨光发亮，背面有的饰单层或双层花纹，常见的有兽面纹、花叶纹、龙凤纹等。西汉时期，铜镜较厚重，纹饰多几何图案、神人和禽兽纹等。并有铸刻铭文，每句仅三至四字，例如：“长相思”、“毋相忘”、“常富贵”、“乐未央”等。内容多是通俗的吉祥语。宋、元时期出现了圆镜、长方镜、菱镜、八棱镜和带柄手镜等。清代以后，逐渐被玻璃镜所代替。

Our ancestors started to use bronze mirrors in as early as the 11th century B.C. During the Warring States Period, bronze mirrors prevailed among the populace. The front side of the mirrors, after being polished, glistens while the backside is embellished with single-layered or double-layered patterns, among which the commonly seen are thus- of animal faces, flowers and leaves, dragons and phoenixes. During the Western flan Period, the bronze mirrors used to be relatively thick and heavy. Most of the decorative patterns were of geometrical forms, supernatural figures, or fowls and animals, accompanied by inscriptions of only three or four characters with such meanings as "eternal love", "never to forget", "wealth for ever" and "everlasting happiness". The content frequently dealt with common well-wishings. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties the bronze mirrors appeared in all shapes: round, rectangular, rhomboidal, octagonal, and those with a handle. Since the Qing Dynasty, however, the bronze mirror has gradually given way to the glass mirror.

上海博物馆展出一件铜镜——“透光镜”，它是西汉时期的珍品，直径为11 .5厘米。这面铜镜与普通铜镜一样，背面有图案，还有铭文。奇怪的是，当一束光线照到镜面，。反射投影在墙壁上，墙上的光亮圈内竟出现铜镜背面的图案和文字，好像从镜背“透”过来的，故称“透光镜”。对于这种现象，在过去很长的时间里，连科学家们都感到惊奇，人们把它称做“魔镜”。今天，我国已可仿制出售，作为旅游纪念品，很受外国游客的欢迎。

In Shanghai Museum, one finds a treasure of the Western Han Period, the "penetrative bronze mirror", measuring 11.5 cm. in diameter. Like ordinary bronze mirrors it bears patterns and inscriptions on the back. But what amazes people is that when a bundle of rays is projected onto the surface of the mirror, which, in turn, reflects the light on the wall, the patterns and inscriptions on the backside are shown in the ring of the light, as if they had penetrated the whole thickness of the mirror. Hence the name of the mirror. For a long time in the past, even scientists were so puzzled at the phenomenon that it was called a "magic mirror". Today, reproductions of this mirror are being made and sold as souvenirs and they appeal very much to tourists.

我国古代常把铜镜当做随葬品。在古墓中，往往发现铜镜放置在死者的头顶或胸侧。有时把铜镜和木梳一起放在漆匣内或小荷包里。在发掘古墓时，还发现有的铜镜放在墓顶上方，据说这是为了“辟邪”和“降妖”。

In ancient times, bronze mirrors were very often used as sacrificial objects. In the ancient tombs, one can always expect to find bronze mirrors placed on top of the head or beside the chest of the dead. Sometimes, bronze mirrors and combs were put together in lacquer boxes or small pouches. In unearthing ancient tombs, bronze mirrors were sometimes discovered on the inner topsides, in order to keep away evil spirits and subdue demons, so it was said.