Chinese "star" constellation (one of the 28 mansions); Singapore
Summer Triangle (asterism)
constellation; astrological sign; star sign; zodiac sign
aloneness; loneliness; solitude
protest; refutation; pleading
friendly chat; pleasant chat; lighthearted talk; friendly conversation
cake served with tea; teacake
serious; severe; grave; acute
way of speaking; intimation
gentle; mild; meek; tender
to be helpful; to be useful
asking; enquiring; searching; looking for
to be sorry; to beg pardon; to be grateful; to be amazed; to be filled with awe; to be disconcerted
sensitivity; sensitiveness; sense (of ...)
quietly; calmly; comfortably; peacefully
materials; ingredients; material (for a novel, experiment, etc.); subject matter; grounds (for a decision, judgement, etc.); basis
fate; destiny; predestination
roughly; approximately; round about; cursorily; briefly; quickly
8000 years; thousands of years; eternity
8000 years; thousands of years; eternity
to be surprising; to be shocking; to be jaw-dropping
to have a limit; to go too far (e.g. joke)
(not) even when using ...; (not) even with the help of ...; (not) even by ...
God's will; heaven's decree; mandate of Heaven; one's life; one's lifespan
what is called; as it is called; the so-called; so to speak
half in doubt; half-convinced; dubious; incredulous
in name only; figurehead; (only) by name
to have heard somewhere; to sound familiar
sure to ...; certain to ...; bound to ...; it's natural that ...
checking answers (e.g. to homework problems); verifying one's answers
whereabouts; place where one is; position; location
matter; thing; affair; circumstance
acquaintance; making someone's acquaintance
outside of; not covered by
to work hard at; to devote oneself to; to be diligent in