贞观十六年（642），魏征病逝家中。太宗亲临吊唁，痛哭失声，并说：“夫以铜为镜，可以正衣冠；以古为镜，可以知兴替；以人为镜，可以知得失。我常保此三镜，以防己过。今魏征殂逝，遂亡一镜矣。” 

 AD 642,When WeiZhen, chancellor to Lishiming (King of the Tang Dynasty) died in AD 642, Lishiming was very sad, he said, “With a bronze as a mirror, we can dress up properly; With history as a mirror, we can learn why there was a rise and a fall;With a person as a mirror, we can consult them for what is right and wrong. Alas! WeiZhen passed away, and I have lost a mirror.”