raising the curtain; opening (of an event); start; beginning
every year; year after year
peculiarity; uniqueness; characteristic
to sever; to cut off; to suppress; to eradicate; to abstain (from); to give up
November; eleventh month of the lunar calendar
courting; wooing; making advances
to resign oneself (to); to reconcile oneself (to); to accept (e.g. defeat); to give up
a long time ago; long ago
bottom of one's heart; depths of one's mind; innermost thoughts; from the bottom of one's heart; wholeheartedly; truly
flowing through; conduction
love and believe in; intimacy
first; firstly; first of all; Introduction; Preface
aimless; rambling; desultory; casual
to command; to dominate; to prevent; to obstruct; to grip; to hold
sign (of things to come); good omen; good sign
notice; attention; observation
step; stair; shelf; layer; grade; level; dan (degree of advanced proficiency in martial arts, go, shogi, etc.)
thick makeup; heavy makeup
to tear off; to strip off; to rip off; to rob (someone) of (clothes); to divest (someone) of (powers, rank, etc.)
indiscrimination; without discrimination; indiscriminate
(suffering a) complete defeat; utter defeat; annihilation
raising (a question); posing (a problem); instituting (a lawsuit); lodging; (arch.) lifting up
iron wall; impregnable fortress; impregnable; invulnerable; unassailable
conference; consultation; discussion; negotiation
gloomy; dismal; miserable; spirit of yin
general; overall; across-the-board
to distribute; to hand out; to deliver; to allot; to allocate; to place (staff, soldiers, etc.)
number of persons; personnel
to swell up; to bulge; to swell (of a budget, population, etc.); to increase significantly; to balloon
secondhand bookshop; antiquarian bookshop
feeling of tension; air of tension; tension; nervousness
empty seat; unoccupied seat; vacancy; vacant post
supply; provision; service; supply
to manage (all by oneself); to control; to run; to take charge of
one's seniors and juniors; seniority-based hierarchy