gaudy (esp. of makeup or clothing); garish; glitzy; loud
to ascend; to go up; to ascend (as a natural process, e.g. the Sun); to rise; to go to (the capital); to be promoted; to add up to
consumer; ordinary citizen; stakeholder; person who lives on (e.g. situation, income, place)
intersection; crossing; crossroad; street corner; street
mature; becoming precocious
materialistic; worldly-minded; uncultured
-ing and -ing (e.g. "coming and going"); doing such things as...; expresses a command; (arch.) to be; (arch.) indicates completion or continuation of an action
self-styled Zen philosophy; sciolism; dabbling in Zen
bristly beard; bristly mustache; tiger whiskers
comprehension; understanding; enlightenment; spiritual awakening; satori
face; visage; look; expression; honor; honour
satisfaction; pride; one's strong point; one's forte; regular customer; regular client
base (military, expedition, etc.)
danger; peril; hazard; risk
thirteen; 13; king (playing card)
to play dumb; to feign ignorance; to play the fool; to be in one's dotage
to be heard; to be audible; to be said to be; to be reputed
serious; honest; sober; grave; earnest; steady
seriousness; earnestness; truth; sanctity
moreover; furthermore; nevertheless; and yet
to be inferior to; to be less good at; to fall behind
(arch.) sky; cloud; distant place; high place; imperial court
the Dragon (fifth sign of the Chinese zodiac); hour of the Dragon (around 8am, 7-9am, or 8-10am); east-southeast; third month of the lunar calendar
imperial loyalist samurai of the Bakumatsu-era; patriots; idealists willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of the nation
is not; am not; are not; isn't it?
poor-quality; shoddy; unskillful; inexpert; unlucky
anyone; any person; whoever
hesitation; indecision; vacillation
writing; book; (literary) work
sacred books; sutras; scriptures; Bible
Tao Te Ching (classic Chinese text by Lao Tzu); Daodejing
feel (of a material); texture
getting closer; drawing nearer; being not much different; being near (age, skill, etc.); becoming close (i.e. friendly); becoming intimate
identical; same; one and the same; fair; equal treatment; without discrimination