to be on the verge of; to be about to; to be on the point of
tightrope walking; high-wire act; funambulism; treading a tightrope; walking on thin ice; pulling a risky balancing act
repulse; repelling (e.g. the enemy); driving back
to remain; to stay (somewhere)
to agree; to decide upon; to enter into (a contract)
to be careful; to pay attention; to take care
challenge; defiance; dare; attempt; try
to handle (men); to master (a tool); to manage; to acquire a command of (a language)
stability; steadiness; consistency; stable
business that exploits its employees (e.g. through unpaid overtime)
service; duty; business; Buddhist religious services
brat; kid; urchin; preta; hungry ghost
office worker; company employee; company man; salaryman
experience; history; record; career
to rewind; to rally; to recover; to come back
in a lively way; vividly; freshly; animatedly; actively; energetically
young and cheeky; brash; sassy
in itself; the thing itself; this itself; for its own sake; per se
(growing) quickly (esp. children, plants); (developing) quickly; fast; rapidly
brightness; brilliance; brilliancy; radiance; glitter
one's youth; one's youthful days (years); the flower of one's youth; the springtime of one's life
imperfect; incomplete; faulty; defective
remarkable; striking; brilliant; splendid; spectacular; wonderful
still; even now; to this day
achievements; actual results; accomplishments; past results; track record
uninhabited area; acting inhumanly; inhuman person; nonhuman life (usu. sentient)
to run out of; to dry up; to be depleted; to hit the bottom; to bottom out
owner of a hermitage; abbess; prioress; nun in charge of a Buddhist convent
district; region; the country; countryside; civilian society
emergency; crisis; critical moment; urgent move (required to prevent a major loss, to stabilize a group, etc.); urgent point
wood chip; splinter; worthless thing; worthless person
first-person plural (or singular); second or third person plural (implies speaker is of higher status than those referred to)
cormorant (Phalacrocoracidae spp.)
circle; "correct"; "good"; *; _; period
lively; active; vigorous; animated; brisk
to lose strength; to become weak; to wither; to droop; to feel demotivated; to lose interest
(around the) neck; nape; collar (at the front of a coat, kimono, etc.); collar area
falling lightly (e.g. snow, petals, confetti); fluttering; flickering; twinkling; appearing and disappearing; catching glimpses