tradition; legend; folklore
-ical; -ive; -like; -ish; (something) like; along the lines of
legendary beast; magical beast
god; deity; incredible; fantastic; (arch.) Emperor (of Japan); (arch.) thunder
to fight; to compete; to contest; to argue; to dispute heatedly
living thing; organism; creature; biology
continent; continental Asia (esp. mainland China); continental Europe
the world; society; sphere; circle; world-renowned; world-famous
general; popular; common; typical
period; epoch; the times; those days; oldness; ancientness
it's different when ... but; it's not so bad when ... but
the present; present time; as of; present tense; this world; this life
actual existence; real existence; existing in real life
explanation; interpretation
various; varied; diverse; all sorts of
fresco; mural; wall painting
depiction; description; portrayal
will (urge) to create; creative urge; appetite for writing
to stir up; to poke (the fire); to beat (an egg); to arouse (interest, feelings, etc.); to stir; to stoke
ingredient; (raw) material; unprocessed timber; raw timber; subject matter; topic
religion; religious affiliation; belief; religious activity
to paint over heavily; to plaster up
established theory; accepted opinion; accepted explanation
perhaps; likely; probably; I dare say
to become settled; to be fixed
to cross over; to cross; to pass through; to exceed; to surpass; to be more (than)
to pass down (a story) from generation to generation; to hand down
nevertheless; at any rate; even so; all things considered; be that as it may
incredible; unbelievable; terrific; impressive
leaping; activity; leapfrog (over a problem); making a leap (e.g. in logic); making great strides; making rapid progress
to all appearances; no matter how you look at it
failure; defective article; dead loss; good-for-nothing; worthless person; flop
corner; edge; (street) corner; turning; rough edges (of one's character, words, etc.); abrasiveness
a little short; sawed-off (pants)
confident; full of confidence; cocky; full of oneself
shudder; shiver; trembling with fear
this time; now; next time; another time; recently; lately