TLV mirror

The first mirrors with TLV symbols appeared during the 2nd century BCE, with some believing that they were related to Liu An's astrological and cosmological interests.

[3] By the end of the 1st century BCE, the band dividing the main area into two concentric rings had largely lost its structural function of separating the mirror into two sections.

[4] Mirrors from the Xin dynasty (8–23 CE) usually have an outer band with cloud or animal motifs, and an inner circle with a square containing a knob.

The bending of the Ls could possibly have served to create a rotating effect which symbolized the four seasons, which were very closely related to the cardinal directions.

The area between the inner round border and the outer rim of the mirror was often filled with swirls that represented the clouds in heaven.

[8] An ancient rubbing of a first century Chinese bronze mirror discovered in the National Museum of China in 1980s further confirms it.