starting line; starting point
quietly; calmly; comfortably; peacefully
martial arts; military arts; wushu; modern sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts
achievement; meritorious deed; distinguished service; contribution
no matter what; whatever you say; in the end; after all
grounds; foundation; authority; support; prop; something upon which to rely
quarrel; brawl; fight; squabble; scuffle; argument
cannot be undone; can't be recovered from
aggression; invasion; raid
spine; line of the backbone; seam down the back (of clothing)
vitality; (one's) life force
greed; craving; desire; appetite; hunger; avarice
starting afresh; going back to square one; abandoning (e.g. a plan); clearing an abacus
to delay; to put off; to procrastinate
now that; since; as long as; provided that
to be still half asleep; to be half awake; to be not yet quite awake
predicament; one's ground; one's position
unpleasant; disagreeable; nasty; lewd; lascivious; obscene
to say no more; to sink into silence
letter; note; epistle; correspondence
decided; determined; settled; convicted; sentenced
to bend; to flutter; to wave; to yield to; to be swayed by; to bow to
beyond one's control; nothing one can do
to lift up; to hold up; to give; to offer; to devote; to sacrifice
visit for no reason; go on fool's errand
(relative) merits; superiority or inferiority; quality
argument; discussion; dispute; controversy
equality; impartiality; evenness
to be able to do; to be capable of doing
it hasn't been long since
to remonstrate; to admonish (someone) for; to advise (someone) not to; to warn against
besides; furthermore; on top of that; and yet; nevertheless; even so
other side; other party; other end (e.g. of phone connection); opposition
to appease; to suppress; to calm
to break through; to penetrate; to pierce