towards (a destination); for the purpose of; with the goal of; targeting (a group, a demographic)
theism; god's teachings; Shenism; Chinese folk religion
community; circles; kingdom; erathem; field (electrical); border
three countries; Three Kingdoms (in China, 220 CE-280 CE); Three Kingdoms (in Korea, 57 BCE-668 CE); (arch.) Japan, China and India; (arch.) Japan, Korea and China
original; unique; distinctive; independent; one's own; personal
military force; military strength
to have; to possess; to own; to be endowed with
worship; adoration; admiration; cult
secret art; secret technique; mysteries (of an art)
utmost limits; extremity; limit
penance; austerities; mortification; difficult work; strenuous task
excelling; surpassing; outdoing
capital (esp. Kyoto, Japan's former capital); seat of government; capital (of music, fashion, etc.); city (e.g. of light); location of the Imperial Palace
feature; trait; characteristic; peculiarity; distinction
(a) little; somewhat; somehow
science and technology; technology; scientific techniques
one's true worth; one's true self; what one is really made of
to wager; to bet; to risk; to stake; to gamble
to fall behind; to lag behind; to be outdistanced; to be beaten
not going (well); not proceeding (as one wishes); bad; not good; hopeless; beyond hope
outward appearance; ostensible; public; official
common front; united front
to spread out (e.g. a futon); to lay out; to lay down (e.g. a cushion); to impose widely (e.g. martial law); to promulgate; to pin down; to hold down
the Big Three (countries)
underwater; behind closed doors; behind the scenes; below the surface
country; state; region; national government; central government; home (i.e. hometown, home country); province (of Japan)
how; in what way; how (much); to what extent; however (much); no matter how
to outwit; to outmanoeuvre; to steal a march on; to get the jump on; to anticipate; to forestall
competition; contest; rivalry; competition (between organisms or species)
tacit understanding; unspoken agreement
mutually; with each other; reciprocally; together
in the end; at the end of the day
period; epoch; the times; those days; oldness; ancientness
side (of something, or taking someone's side); part; (watch) case
monolith; large slab of rock; unity (of a group, organization, etc.); unanimity; solidarity
to turn completely into; to become completely
real condition; actual circumstances; actual state of affairs
no more than; just; only; mere; goes no further than
to be frank; to drop all pretense
in all ages; over the ages; forever and ever
superiors; big shots; higher-ups; VIPs; dignitaries