I've heard that ...; rumour has it that ...; it appears as if ...
happy; auspicious; propitious; naive
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...)
very; greatly; much; just about to; almost; very nearly
broad-minded; (of a rikishi) tall, with long reach, making it harder for their opponent to get a grip on their mawashi
empress dowager; queen mother
gradually; by degrees; little by little; steps; stairs; staircase
precipitous; rugged; inaccessible; grim; severe; stern
to go; to move (in a direction or towards a specific location); to proceed; to take place; to pass through; to come and go; to walk
pretext; history; past; according to ...; ... says
another person; other people; unrelated person (i.e. not related by blood); outsider; stranger
disliked; hated; tendency; smack (of); distinction; discrimination
imperial villa; royal villa; detached palace
to shut oneself in (e.g. one's room); to be confined in; to be filled with (emotion, enthusiasm, etc.); to fill the room (of a gas, smell, etc.); to be heavy with (e.g. smoke); to be muffled (e.g. voice); to hold (a castle, fortress, etc.)
one day; all day (long); throughout the day; first day of the month
corridor; hallway; passageway
through; throughout; through (the good offices of); by way of
abundant; plentiful; rich; ample
younger brother; little brother; brother-in-law (spouse's younger brother or younger sister's husband); (arch.) pupil; (arch.) apprentice
one way or another; in many ways; in various ways
to rely on; to depend on; to count on; to turn to (for help)
to engage in; to participate in; to take part in; to be involved in
front stage; center stage (of politics, etc.)
the person in question; the person themselves; said person
to wear a mask; to hide one's true intentions
mask; disguise; guise; mask
to remove; to take off; to drop (e.g. from a team); to remove (from a position); to leave (e.g. one's seat); to go away from
unthinkable; unimaginable; terrible; awful; (arch.) very
trouble; bother; trouble; difficulty; care; attention
article; thing; object; property; real estate
is not; am not; are not; isn't it?
trembling from fear; trembling all over
to shiver; to shake; to quake; to tremble; to quaver; to quiver
to drop; to let fall; to omit
something; something or other; so-and-so; somehow; anyhow; one way or another
rumour; rumor; report; hearsay; gossip; common talk
this; this one; this person; now; this point (in time); here; used to stress the subject of a sentence
just a minute; small quantity
(outward) looks; features; face; countenance; expression
seeming; giving the appearance of; giving one the feeling of