sometimes; at intervals; occasionally; on occasion; from time to time
adoration; admiration; devotion
statement; remark; observation; utterance; speech; proposal
to begin; to start; to happen (again); to begin (anew); to date (from); to originate (in)
pet saying; favorite phrase; stock phrase; manner of talking
as stated; verbatim; literally
festival; feast; carnival; matsuri
elegant; refined; polished; high-quality goods; first-class article
social life; social intercourse
wording (esp. of written text); classical Chinese literary style; traditional written Chinese
to re-think; to think back upon; to change one's mind
pride (in one's achievements, possessions, etc.); self-praise; boast
stain; blot; flaw; disgrace
imitating; copying; mimicry; behavior; behaviour; action
(in the) palm of someone's hand; (under) someone's complete control; (at) someone's mercy
burlesque; low comedy; farce
according to plan; as planned
(in) secrecy; behind closed doors
background; scenery; background (of an incident, situation, etc.); circumstances; backing; support (from behind the scenes)
having no way of knowing; being completely ignorant of
dispatch; despatch; deployment; temporary employee (esp. from an agency); temporary worker; agency temp
standing by; awaiting an opportunity; being on alert; quarantine
in terms of both ... and ...; from the perspective of ... as well as ...; whether it be ... or ...
(advance) notice; preliminary announcement; warning; trailer (for a film, TV show, etc.)
probably; likely; perhaps; a lot of; much; many
important task; important role; major part (in a film, play, etc.); leading role; high-scoring combination
examination; exam; test; trial; experiment; test
isn't it?; let's ...; why don't we ...; how about we ...
(real) ability; true strength; merit; arms; force
stage (of a theatre, concert hall, etc.); stage performance; stage production; setting (of a story); scene; sphere (of activity)
to plan; to plot; to attempt (e.g. suicide, murder); to undertake (e.g. business); (arch.) to stand on tip-toes
achievements; actual results; accomplishments; past results; track record
rearing from infancy; training from an early age (e.g. an apprentice); teaching from an early stage (e.g. a subordinate)
to wag one's tail; to flatter; to butter up; to fawn (on)
begging; pestering; pleading; coaxing
custom; practice; convention; precedent
failure; collapse; breakdown; (arch.) tear (in clothing, etc.); (arch.) rip; (arch.) split
to do exactly what one is told to do; to be subservient; to be easily controlled
subcontract; subcontractor (person or company)
to feel gloomy; to have doubts (e.g. about the future); to be at a loss (e.g. over what to do)