sneakily; secretly; stealthily; on the sly
to do something in readiness for; to get something (needful) done
together (of two people); both (of you, them, etc.)
to doubt; to distrust; to be suspicious of; to suspect
to exclude (someone); to shun; to ignore; to leave out; to ostracize
hum; hmm; hm hm (light chuckle with mouth closed); uh-huh; mm; hmm
now that; since; so long as; because
confident; full of confidence; cocky; full of oneself
in a sense; in some way; to an extent
as expected; predictably; not surprisingly
face; honour; meld; lineup (of players participating in a mahjong game); attendees (e.g. at a meeting); members
bad reputation; disgrace; unpopularity
dull; uninteresting; insignificant; unimportant; absurd; foolish
exactly as stated; verbatim
to make good one's escape; to get away; to outrun; to hold on (and win); to win narrowly
brutal (atmosphere, society, etc.); savage; fierce; violent; bloodthirsty; stark
amateur; layman; respectable woman (i.e. not a prostitute, hostess, geisha); (arch.) unlicensed prostitute
to be believed to; to be expected to; to be feared to; to be poised to; to be considered to; to be likely to
interest; entertainment; pleasure; implicit comparison (style of the Shi Jing)
to be dampened; to be discouraged; to be weakened; to be reduced
to be a point of honor; to affect someone's good name
mockery; derision; ridicule
bargaining; haggling; tactics; strategy
mass meeting; convention; tournament; competition; grand event
to devise; to arrange; to plan; to plot
emotional attachment; attitude (expressing emotion); meditative pose (e.g. an actor); posing for effect
preliminary arrangements; spade work
match fixing; put-up job; fixed game
support; participation; assistance; complicity; conspiracy
signalling with the eyes; exchanging looks; winking
way of reciting; way of telling a story
to beg; to ask; to request; to invite
replenishment; supplementation; supplement; replacement; refilling
(necessary) personnel; required person
alternation; change; relief; relay; shift; substitution (sports, etc.)
particle; atom; little piece; not at all; not the slightest