independently; individually; separately; alone; singlehanded; unassisted
lightly; easily; carelessly
hard-liners; diehards; (young) man with traditionally masculine interests; tough boy; hard news; reporter who covers political and economic affairs
hiding; concealing; being hidden; pocket
to highlight something; to bring something to the forefront
violence; reckless action; (an) outrage
the Dragon (fifth sign of the Chinese zodiac); hour of the Dragon (around 8am, 7-9am, or 8-10am); east-southeast; third month of the lunar calendar
shrine; palace; imperial residence; Imperial prince; Imperial princess; headboard with built-in shelves, drawers, etc.
(present) head of a family
polite; respectful; reverent
depending on the situation; depending on circumstances
kneeling down (to pray); going down on one's knees
pecking order; hierarchical relationship; vertical relationship; hyponymy
teacher; instructor; professor
substantial; real (as opposed to nominal)
(exercising) the right to command
(social) position; status
chief seat; seat of honor; seat of honour; head of the table
to fall into disgrace with; to incur someone's displeasure
one's family register; one's domicile; nationality; membership (club, party, etc.)
to see the light of day; to be revealed (to the world); to be realized
lineage; pedigree; family line; birth
eccentric; oddball; character; weirdo
dogs and cats; pets; something trivial; worthless thing
carelessness; careless mistake; wetting oneself; soiling oneself; (arch.) crude; (arch.) coarse
bog; marsh; swamp; quandary; dire situation from which one cannot extricate oneself; imbroglio
hanky-panky; juggling; cheating; deception; smoke and mirrors
to do what one is told to; to take someone's advice; to listen to what someone says
hardening; vulcanization; hardening (of attitude, stance, etc.); stiffening; upturn (in the market); firming up
as if (something untrue were actually true); like hell (e.g. "like hell I will")
silly; foolish; absurd; childish; easy; trifling
young girl; lass; adolescent female
erasure; denial; obliteration; ignoring (an opinion)
via; through; by doing; by means of; using
someone who is suddenly quiet and meek; (lit.) borrowed cat
bitter (e.g. criticism); sharp; biting; severe; scathing; harsh
scarecrow; figurehead; dummy
back to back; discord; feud; opposite sides of the same coin
currying favour; being anxious to please; bootlicker
to distance oneself (from); to keep (something or someone) at a distance; to maintain a distance (from)
to be the ruin of (a person)
insincere smile; ingratiating smile; polite smile; forced smile