wriggling; squirming; maneuvering; mischief; despicable acts
fruitless effort; wasted effort; abortive scheme; futility
sneer; derision; scornful laugh; cold smile
standing facing each other (e.g. mountains, buildings); standing opposite each other; confrontation; squaring off against (adversaries, armies, forces); standing off against
extermination (e.g. of pests, demons, bandits); elimination; making someone renounce worldly desires in order to concentrate on Buddha's teachings; curing illness
to impose; to visit upon; to inflict
Edo Castle (residence of the Shogun during the Edo period, now the site of the Tokyo Imperial Palace)
castle (in place names); castle; fortress
besides; furthermore; moreover
(arch.) true form of a buddha; land of origin
imperial-shogunal (e.g. relations, etc.)
to have; to possess; to own; to be endowed with
person; character; one's character; one's personality; able person; talented person
rise and fall (of nations); destiny
argument; discussion; theory (e.g. of evolution); doctrine; essay; treatise
when it comes to ...; if one were to speak of ...; by ... you mean ...; when you say ... you mean that ...; whenever ...; if it's ... then (without fail)
to lead someone around by the nose
friend; ally; supporter; taking sides with; supporting; standing by
bringing up; rearing; upbringing
(period of) a year; during an era
to lend an ear; to hearken; to give an ear to; to listen carefully
countryside; country; 50-home township (comprised of 2-3 neighbourhoods)
to pick up; to adopt (e.g. a proposal); to accept; to take away; to confiscate; to deliver (a baby)
self-esteem; self-respect; self-importance; conceit; pride
first day of the month; character sketch; comments on personalities; commentary
first day of the month; character sketch; comments on personalities; commentary
to drain; to flow (unobstructed); to sell well; to be in good demand; to exit the stage; to remove (a prop) from the stage
to be put in order; to be put to rights; to be disposed of; to be solved; to be finished; to be married (off)
unthinkable; count for nothing; not matter; out of the question
making light of; thinking little of; slighting; belittling; dismissing; contempt
to exert oneself; to devote oneself to
by all means; at all costs; absolutely
to insert; to interrupt; to slip in a word; to harbor (e.g. doubts); to harbour
instead; but (on the other hand)
to be a match for; to rival; to equal; to compare with; to be equivalent to
to be outdone (by); to be in inferior (to); to compare unfavorably (with); to be behind
to find fault (with); to cavil (at); to carp (about); to throw a wet blanket (on); to throw cold water (on); to jinx
things on hand; things in stock; money on hand; money in one's wallet; on hand; in stock
opposition; rivalry; competition; antagonism