本文以古典小說「鏡子」主題之情節故事為討論中心，觀察到其中有兩種書寫模式，為論述之便以「物異系統」及「抒情系統」定義、代稱。本文所謂的「鏡象書寫」及研究範疇，其不僅是鏡子與鏡像（即鏡前實體與影像關係）的狹義性，也廣義地用以表示因鏡衍生的現象或延伸的象徵意涵，鏡子作為「物」的這個前提與本質是相同的，只是當凸顯其特殊效用、功能時，取「日」的光明之義，表現鏡子的物異、神異性；當強調人物之間情感、心靈或意志時，則往往與「鳥」（如鵲、鸞、鴛鴦）意象結合，以象雙配，展現細膩的抒情性。其中唐代小說《古鏡記》在承襲六朝描寫幻異的主流脈絡下，開始關注人物的處境與命運，作者王度寫「物」之餘試圖表現人物的意志、情感，心理與人格，此一現象可謂「鏡異書寫」的首度裂變。至《紅樓夢》，則在「物」、「情」系統之吸收外，加入了哲學性的思想辯證與悲劇式的美學策略，透過「鏡」對「實體」照映時呈現的真實與虛幻共存之二重性，表現小說「假作真時真亦假」的主旨和「色空觀」；對「鴛鴦寶劍」此聘禮援劍代鏡的意象置換，捨棄潛藏的圓滿之意書寫死亡，於先前物質現象的描寫刻劃，進入了抽象的形上義理思考。

The focus of this paper is on the motif of the mirror in Chinese classical fiction, which is treated in two distinct ways: as a magical object, and as a mode of emotional expression. In this paper the concept of a mirror is treated not only with respect to the relationship between the object in front of the mirror and its image reflected in the mirror, but also in the broader sense of how the images produced in the mirror and how their symbolism are used to bring into relief an object's defining characteristics, and how the significance of sunlight expresses the magical nature of the mirror. I also discuss how bird images (especially the magpie, phoenix, and mandarin duck) are frequently used to depict the details of the emotional relationship between characters.Following the common practice of describing fantasies during the Six Dynasties period, the Tang dynasty fiction Gujing ji (古鏡記 Record of an Ancient Mirror) focuses on fate and the human predicament. In this fiction Wan Du strives to portray the will, sentiment, and personality of his characters, the earliest example of the use of jingyi (鏡異). As for the Honglou meng (紅樓夢 Dream of the Red Chamber), its object-feeling system and philosophical ideas distinguish it from other fiction in the tragedy genre. Moreover, the simultaneous existence of the object and its image are used to express the interplay between reality and fiction, as well as the emptiness of material form. In addition, by presenting the image of the sword of the mandarin duck given as an engagement present- a substitute for a mirror-the author abandons his hidden satisfaction and begins to describe death, moving away from the depiction of material objects and into the consideration of metaphysical concepts.