originally; by nature; from the start
social standing of a family; lineage; parentage; good family
just a handful; only a small number (of)
to look downwards (at); to lower one's gaze; to drop one's eyes
with a start; with a jump
cold; chilly; cold (attitude, stare, etc.); frigid; composed; cool
light (color, colour, taste); simple; plain; frank; candid; ingenuous
unpleasant; disagreeable; abominable; unlucky; inauspicious; ominous
to spit out; to eject; to dump
to drive to death (e.g. by suicide); to cause to die
originator; ringleader; perpetrator; main culprit; person responsible
intermittently; bit by bit; little by little; in drops (e.g. of rain)
assumption (of office); taking up (a post); inauguration; installation
overserious; deeply sincere; very earnest
precise; accurate; appropriate; exactly the right
ability; capability; skill
shrewdness; sharpness; astuteness; acumen; tact
thinking little of one's family
every day; daily; day after day; days (e.g. good old days)
to take command; to give direction
since one was born; (in) all one's life
to be blessed with children
married couple; husband and wife; man and wife; his and hers; pair of objects, one larger (for man), one smaller (for woman)
waiting expectantly; waiting eagerly; looking forward to; long-awaited
child (esp. a boy); viscount; founder of a school of thought (esp. Confucius); master; masters and philosophers (categorization of Chinese classical literature); (arch.) you; -er (i.e. man who spends all his time doing...)
childbirth; (giving) birth; delivery; production (of goods)
to weaken; to grow weak; to be downcast; to be dejected; to be troubled; to be at a loss
majority; more than half; most (of); mostly; largely; mainly
kind; tender-hearted; compassionate
to become attached (to); to take (to); to become affectionate (with); to be tamed
by the way; incidentally; sometimes; occasionally; precisely (at that time); exactly
illness (usu. excluding minor ailments, e.g. common cold); disease; bad habit; bad behaviour; crazy; insane
(suffer) deterioration; growing worse; aggravation; degeneration; corruption
to stop up; to close up; to stand in the way; to obstruct; to occupy; to fill up
to settle down; to stay (for good); to stay long; to stay on
news of someone's death; obituary
to feel down; to feel sad; to be in a slump (business, economy, etc.); to be in an unfavourable condition; to fall into (e.g. a hole)