slight; insignificant; small
to pass down (a story) from generation to generation; to hand down
story; tale; narrative; account; fable; legend
one country; whole country; hotheaded; stubborn
rise and fall; ups and downs
ups and downs of life; vicissitudes of fortune
victory or defeat; issue (of battle); outcome
vicissitudes; ups and downs
Heike family; Taira family; The Tale of the Heike; chanting of the Heike Monogatari
to be playful; to gambol; to be amused (with something); to flirt with
(arch.) it is not so; no; never mind
such; like that; in that way
disastrous; tragic; miserable; wretched; pitiful; woeful
very hard; with utmost effort; as hard as one can; with all one's might; for dear life; eagerly
to stick; to paste; to stretch; to spread; to form (e.g. ice on a pond); to fill; to swell
economic slump; hard times; poor (business); dull; gloomy; cheerless
to lead; to spearhead (a group); to command (troops)
ascent; climbing; up-train; train heading toward the starting point of its route; upbound (esp. toward Tokyo); upstream
(one's) family; dependents; household; follower; retainer; underling
to continue (going along some trend)
the four cardinal directions; north, east, south and west; surroundings; many countries; the whole world; all around; here and there
dispersal; scattering; discrete
to become weak; to decline; to wear; to abate; to decay; to wither
rise and fall (of nations); destiny
preparedness; readiness; mental attitude; frame of mind
process; course; mechanism
advance; moving forward; progress
surging waves; raging billows; turbulent; tempestuous; tumultuous
overturning; capsizing; overthrow (e.g. of a government)
explanation (of a text, phrase, etc.); lecture; explanation (in a pompous fashion); (long-winded) lecture; (arch.) storytelling
to stop; to quit; to put an end to
episode; anecdote; vignette
to pick up; to find; to gather
four and a half tatami mats; four-and-a-half-mat room; small room esp. for assignations
tatami mat (esp. as a measure of room size, either 1.82 sqm or 1.54 sqm)
or rather (say); or better (say); or perhaps I should say; or, how should I put it,...; I mean