mediocre; ordinary; commonplace; banal
to bear; to stand; to support; to withstand; to be fit for; to be equal to
the front; honesty; uprightness; decency; normality
dark; dull; unsatisfactory; dissatisfying; unattractive; unappealing
so far; up to now; hitherto; that's enough (for today); it ends here
God; god; ace; king; superior person
you could say; you might say; verging on the
to revere; to respect; to worship
a Buddha; deceased person
(a) little; (a) few; slight; only; just; merely
barrier; obstacle; difficulty; hurdle; deadlock
breaking through; breakthrough; surmounting; overcoming; exceeding; passing
all; whole; entire; complete (set); in total
taking a class; studying a subject; completing a course
laboratory; seminar room; professor's office
entering; setting (of the Sun); containing; content; income; beginning
eleven; 11; jack (playing card); Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo (Cuculus fugax); Horsfield's hawk cuckoo
assistant professor; associate professor
after that; afterwards; thereafter
going to the United States
study; scholarship; learning; discipline; branch of learning; (a) science
group; party; team; organization; organisation; association
to gain experience; to accumulate experiences
component; factor; item (e.g. in list); element (e.g. in array); member (e.g. data structure)
composition; construction; formation; makeup; structure; organization
single word; a few words; brief comment
genius; prodigy; natural gift
stale; hackneyed; cliched
unthinkable; unexpected; absolutely not!; far from it!; (it was) no bother at all; not at all
same generation; one's generation
to teach; to take a teaching job
willingness (e.g. to do something); eagerness; motivation; inspiration; determination; high aspirations
foul play (sport); breaking the rules; infringement; irregularity
sensation; feeling; tendency; propensity
head; brains; intellect; understanding
(just) out of curiosity; (just) in order to satisfy one's curiosity; aimed chiefly at amusing; sensational (e.g. magazine)
to be onto a good thing; to make money without working; to line one's pockets