to interrupt; to interfere; to meddle; to intrude; to butt in; to poke one's nose into
to lend an ear; to hearken; to give an ear to; to listen carefully
gloomy; dismal; miserable; spirit of yin
stillness; silence; quiet; hush; calm; serenity
to approach; to draw near; to be imminent; to press (someone for something); to urge; to compel
complexion; skin tone; skin colour; countenance; look (on one's face); expression
junior high school; middle school; lower secondary school
education; schooling; training; culture; cultivation; education
discontent; dissatisfaction; complaint; grievance
duty; obligation; responsibility
physical strength; power; stamina; strength (of a business, economy, etc.)
(practical) application; putting to practical use; applied (e.g. physics, linguistics, research)
cavalry; cavalryman; trooper
as one would expect from ...; given that ... (naturally ...); because ...; for good reason; there is a (good) reason that ...
ordinary; average; run-of-the-mill
mishmash; miscellany; medley; jumble; mixture; odds and ends
(reciprocal) communication; (coming to a) mutual understanding
smooth; undisturbed; uninterrupted; harmonious
regular; normal; formal; legal; established; legitimate
squad; section; (naval) division; detachment
strict; hidebound; inflexible; being a stickler for the rules; sticking hard and fast to the rules
formal; stiff; strict; ceremonious
within the limits (framework, boundaries, price, etc.)
to be frank; to drop all pretense
now that; since; so long as; because
to curry favour (with); to play up (to); to cozy up (to); to butter up
class (of students); group (of people); party; lot; bunch; crime family; organized-crime syndicate
mounted bandit (esp. in north-east China from the end of the Qing dynasty)
Japanese adventurer (from the Meiji era to the end of WWII) who roamed mainland China and other parts of Asia, engaging in political activities, espionage, smuggling, etc.
company; lot; people; troupe; company (of musicians)
they; those guys; those fellows
mixture of fact and fiction; half-truth
non-stop talking; speaking indiscreetly; chattering; thin; flimsy
frivolous; flippant; superficial; flattery; (insincere) compliments
liver; innards; courage; spirit; crux; essential point
upper level; upper grade; high rank; advanced level; senior level; upper class
to happen to hear; to overhear
interest; entertainment; pleasure; implicit comparison (style of the Shi Jing)
cheap; rash; thoughtless; careless
scheme; plot; artifice; stratagem; trick
(of) Japanese descent; non-Japanese of Japanese descent; nikkeijin; company, etc. set up with Japanese capital; company managed by Japanese or non-Japanese of Japanese descent
government; government service; the bureaucracy; government post; government official
monitoring; watching; observation; surveillance; guarding; supervision