empress dowager; queen mother
birth; creation; formation
to celebrate; to congratulate; to present (a gift) in celebration; to drink in celebration; to wish for (a happy future, good fortune, etc.); to pray for
discord; (on) bad terms (with)
to disappear into; to be lost in; to do something under the cover of (confusion, etc.); to be almost indistinguishable; to be confusingly similar; to be diverted from (negative emotions, etc.)
unexpected; unforeseen; inconceivable
favorite; favourite; pet (e.g. teacher's pet); bookmark (in web browser)
below; down; bottom; beneath; underneath; just after; right after
to trap (into a difficult situation); to put (in a fix); to capture (a castle, fortress, etc.); to take; to drop (something) into
planning; scheming; maneuvering; manoeuvring
false accusation; pretext; picking a quarrel; committing oneself
extreme; excessive; terrible; intense; severe; serious
reverse; opposite; converse (of a hypothesis, etc.); inverse (function)
seat; place; position; status; gathering; party; stand
to drag down; to pull down; to force out (of power, office, role, etc.)
to finish; to stop; to close (a business, etc.); to close down; to put away; to put back
hypothesis; supposition; assumption
it cannot be that...; it is highly unlikely that...; it is impossible that...
disorder; chaos; confusion; mayhem
backward glance; sidelong glance; faceless ghost with an eye in its rump
one's circumstances; environment; situation (in life)
potentiality; likelihood; possibility; availability
to trick; to cheat; to deceive; to coax; to wheedle; to soothe and humor (humour)
to take out; to carry out; to bring out from where it belongs; to mention something; to broach a topic; to bring up (a subject)
domestic and foreign; inside and outside the country
to ask; to inquire; to blame (someone) for; to accuse of; to care about; to regard as important
daughter of a person of high rank (esp. eldest daughter)
famous; noted; renowned; celebrated; well-known
continent; continental Asia (esp. mainland China); continental Europe
to extol; to sing the praises of; to celebrate; to declare; to stipulate; to express
long (time); longstanding; for a long time
remote region; frontier (district); border(land)
confinement; imprisonment; incarceration
life; lifetime; career; for life; all one's life; throughout one's life
tragedy; tragic drama; tragic play; tragedy; calamity; disaster
the late king; the preceding king; good ancient kings
beloved concubine; favourite concubine (e.g. of the shogun)
to marry (a woman); to take to wife; to take in marriage