to rain incessantly; to downpour
bamboo thicket; bamboo grove
chirp; twitter; warble; whale tongue
stillness; silence; hush; calm; serenity
heavy (feeling, etc.); gloomy (weather, etc.); oppressive (atmosphere, etc.); stifling; strained
intake (e.g. of salt); ingestion; absorption (e.g. of new knowledge); adoption (e.g. of foreign culture); reception and protection
distinction (e.g. between right and wrong, public and private, etc.)
letter left behind by someone who has departed; farewell letter
to leave (behind); to leave (undone); to not finish; to save; to set aside; to leave (to someone, esp. after one's death)
incident; affair; happening; event
generally; in the main; (more or less) everything; all parts; ordinary; usual
single word; a few words; brief comment
to look displeased; to frown; to scowl; to look grave; to look serious
silence; being silent; quiet; reticence; inaction
finally; after; following; at the end (of)
to open one's mouth (to talk); to (start to) tell
beginning; outset; first; onset
older brother; elder brother; brother (as older-brother figure in friendly and or work relationship); young man; buddy
to change; to alter; to transform; to reform; to revise; to amend
indicate reason; infers some protest
from the place (where); from the fact that ...; caused by the fact that ...; because
to step firmly; to harden by treading
steady; sound; solid; reliable; trustworthy
really; truly; indeed; good grief
difficult to ...; hard to ...
to fix upon (one-sidedly); to (ignore somebody's position and) arbitrarily decide something is the case; to scold; to take (a person) to task
weakening; emaciation; decline
current; urgent; to confront (an issue); to face (up to something); for the meantime; at present
gradually (progress into a state); in sequence; in order; in turn
as (e.g. "do as one is told", "as we age we gain wisdom"); wherever (e.g. "wherever my fancy took me")
restoration; rehabilitation; recovery; recovery (from an illness); recuperation; convalescence
very; greatly; immense; enormous; serious; grave
that; the matter in question
to warp; to bend; to contort; to be perverted; to be warped (of a view, mind, etc.); to be distorted
what percentage; what ratio; what rate; what proportion
to study (in depth); to learn; to take lessons in
one's father; one's old man; middle-aged (or older) man; old man; one's boss; proprietor (of a restaurant, store, etc.)
to cross over (e.g. mountain); to go across; to get over (e.g. hardship); to pass time (e.g. a winter); to surpass; to be better than; to move house
able; capable; competent; able person; person of ability
to walk; to go on foot; to tread (a figurative path); to follow; to advance towards (e.g. a solution); to set out (e.g. on the path to destruction, ruin, etc.)
to have a bad time; to go through a bitter experience; to get into trouble; to get hurt; to suffer