snakeheads; Chinese criminal gangs, esp. for smuggling Chinese immigrants
to advance; to go forward; to precede; to go ahead (of); to make progress; to improve; to deepen
understanding; comprehension; appreciation; sympathy
to praise; to commend; to compliment; to speak well of; to speak highly of
honour; honor; glory; privilege
to jest; to joke; to play the fool; to act indecently; to be silly over; to talk foolishly
to bend forward; to stoop; to bow
outside; exterior; the open (air); other place; somewhere else
all; completely; totally; entirely; thoroughly
dark; gloomy; depressed; dispirited; dark (in colour); dull; ill-boding
soon; shortly; nearly; almost
setting off (on a trip); departure
to examine; to look up; to investigate; to check up; to sense; to study
rain; rainy day; rainy weather; the November suit (in hanafuda)
fine day; clear day; formal occasion
apiece; each; at a time; piecemeal
particle used to indicate the speaker's hope, desire, wish, etc. (e.g. "it would be nice if ...", "I wish there were ...", etc.); emphatic particle; particle adding uncertainty
so; like this; in this way
to become clear (water, air, etc.); to become transparent; to resonate clearly (e.g. voice); to become serene; to become tranquil; to pronounce as an unvoiced sound
preparation; arrangements; getting ready; provision; setup; reserving
whispering; subdued; murmuring; dry and tasteless
to dodge; to evade; to avoid; to sidestep
to be busy at work; to work diligently
good thing; strong point; good family; prestigious school; the right moment; utter
to be found; to be discovered
in terms of both ... and ...; from the perspective of ... as well as ...; whether it be ... or ...
motionlessly (e.g. stand, wait); (be) still; fixedly (e.g. gaze, stare); intently (e.g. listen, think); patiently (endure); stoically
bothersome; tiresome; bother to do
irresponsible; perfunctory; lukewarm; half-baked; reasonable; moderate
to differ (from); to vary; to not be in the usual condition; to not match the correct (answer, etc.); to be different from promised; isn't it?
star (usu. not including the Sun); planet (usu. not including Earth); star (glyph, symbol, shape); star (actor, player, etc.); small dot; spot; star point (in go)
it does not mean that ...; I don't mean that ...; it is not the case that
only; merely; just; at most; no more than
magnificent; grand; fair; square; grandly; boldly
returning home; visiting one's parents; new bride's first visit to parents
both; both sides; both parties
to comfort; to console; to amuse
repetitious; long-winded; heavy (taste); (overly) rich; gaudy (colour, design, etc.); loud
seeming to be; appearing to be; like; similar to; in order to (e.g. meet goal); so that
receiving; reception; eating; drinking; please; please do for me
store; shop; establishment; restaurant
a lot; lots; enough; sufficient; enough; too many
bustling; busy; crowded; lively (party, voices, etc.); loud; noisy