few decades; many decades; several decades
Western Europe; the West; the Occident; Europe
major powers of the world; great powers
China under the Qing dynasty; Qing China; Qing dynasty
to not know what to do with; to be at a loss with; to have difficulty with; to be put out
mask; disguise; guise; mask
to be visible; to be clear; to be evident; to be certain
standing facing each other (e.g. mountains, buildings); standing opposite each other; confrontation; squaring off against (adversaries, armies, forces); standing off against
discretion; judgement; judgment
your house; your home; your husband; your organization; you
unlawful; illegal; unreasonable; outrageous; unjust
illegal; illicit; unlawful
arrest; apprehension; capture
to perform; to do; to conduct oneself; to carry out
exaggerated; overblown; overdone
(not) so; (not) particularly; (not) very; (not) that much
interesting; fascinating; amusing; funny; enjoyable; fun
secret; secrecy; mystery; secret (e.g. to success); esoteric teachings
the three character styles: square and semicursive and grass
high-quality green tea; jewel-like dewdrop
party (political); person who is fond of; fan of
office (e.g. the Oval Office)
to leave behind; to put off; to postpone
so much; so often; oh, yes!; that's it; that's right; quite
too much for one to handle; beyond one's capacity; unmanageable; uncontrollable; incorrigible; obstreperous
place; spot; address; district; area; one's house; point
even; (if) only; just; besides; on top of that
delay; lag; falling behind; falling behind in; lagging behind in
being a poor loser; unwillingness to admit defeat; sour grapes
poison; toxicant; harm; evil influence; ill will; spite
to look downwards; to lower one's eyes
swallow (bird of the Hirundinidae family); martin; barn swallow (Hirundo rustica); younger man involved with an older woman; boy toy
of all people; a person of ...'s standing
soft and lacking firmness; weak; weak-willed; spineless; weak (market); bearish
to crush (with one's hands); to kill a proposal; to shelve; to table (remove from consideration)
(in) the air; midair; sky