candidacy; standing as a candidate; bidding (to host an event, e.g. the Olympics)
civil war; insurrection; rebellion; domestic conflict
national politics; political situation; statecraft; body politic
to persuade; to prevail upon; to win a woman's heart; to win over; to talk someone into doing
current obsession; current kick; personal obsession
anti-; antithesis; fanqie; traditional Chinese spelling system in which two characters are used: the first one for the onset, the second one for rhyme and tone
to gather momentum; to gather strength; (for a trend) to reach a peak
large monster (Japanese film genre)
maximization; maximisation
dining; dining room; meal
growth period (in children)
standing comparison with; comparing favorably with; by no means inferior to; equal to
hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa); Japanese cypress
price increase; rise in price
(brother and sister) born of a different mother
along the road; along the way
standing signboard; billboard; hoarding
nothing special; no big deal; doesn't matter
to step forward; to take a step forward
somehow; somewhat; seemingly
once-in-a-lifetime encounter (hence should be cherished as such)
being one in body and soul; of one flesh; two hearts beating as one
one's background; one's history; one's circumstances; one's merit; asset; strong point
my; one's own; personal; privately owned
strange; unfamiliar; unknown; unfamiliarity; strangeness; stranger
turning another away at the gate or front door; refusing to receive a caller
insane; crazy; nuts; out of one's mind
unexpectedly; suddenly; abruptly
affixing; pasting; sticking
sky burial (funeral ritual in which the body of the deceased is exposed to be eaten by birds)
to get involved or entangled in; to get mixed up in; to have something to do with; to have dealings with
ruffian; scoundrel; rogue; rascal; villain; hoodlum
sleepover; overnight stay
veil of darkness; curtain of night
family-oriented; familial
wrinkled; full of wrinkles
to spread one's roots (of a tree, etc.); to take root (of an ideology, etc.)