China; Chūgoku region (western part of Honshu comprising the prefectures of Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Tottori and Shimane); central part of a country; main region; province of the second lowest rank (ritsuryo system)
fleeting life; this transient world; sad world; world of grief and worry; the world of the living; this life
industrialized nation; industrialised nation
to build up; to establish; to form; to become (a state); to accomplish; to achieve; to change into
certified (as genuine, valuable, etc.); guaranteed (article); of established reputation; acknowledged; pièce de résistance
heron with all-white plumage (incl. egrets); white heron
married woman; another's wife
period of an apprentice's contract (usu. ten years); apprenticeship; indentureship; indenture
history of; experience of
poverty; penury; need; shortage; lack; want
inflammatory; lascivious; sensational
to do everything in one's power; to do all one can; to leave nothing undone; to exhaust one's resources
becoming stereotyped; getting stuck in a rut; humdrum; mannerism (art, etc.)
new school (of thought, etc.); new drama
placid; composed; big hearted; broad-minded; great quantity (of something)
idle gossip; foolish talk; yarn
to twist; to wrench; to puzzle over; to defeat easily
ban (e.g. on smoking); prohibition
plump; fat; thick (e.g. curry); full (e.g. lips)
sensual; sexy; voluptuous
firmly; absolutely; flatly; by far; far and away; by a long shot
to shine; to glow; to look attractive; to look nice; to be set off (by)
pillow talk; conversation in bed; bedtime story
swallowing without chewing; swallowing (e.g. a story); accepting without questioning
to distance oneself (from); to keep (something or someone) at a distance; to maintain a distance (from)
tangent point; point of contact; contact (electrical, etc.); point of agreement; common ground
incitement; sedition; agitation; abetting
conjunctive particle indicating a cause or reason
my spouse (esp. used to refer to one's wife); my wife; my husband
preserving in sugar; food preserved in sugar
to put together; to gather; to collect; to scrape together
mankind; the human creature; fellow creatures
losing initiative; being forestalled; second move (in go or shogi); moving second; rear guard
to be based on; to take into account; to build upon; to have one's feet firmly planted on; to plant oneself on
appearing one after another; cropping up one after another; occurring in succession
timewise; temporal; chronal
information transfer; information transmission