riddled with holes; full of holes; full of flaws; full of loopholes; faulty
worn-out; ragged; crumbling; dry and crumbly; falling (in drops or clumps); scattering
paper lantern; Chinese lantern; Japanese lantern; snot bubble
paint; coloring materials; colors; colours
to get torn; to tear; to rip; to be broken off (of negotiations, etc.); to break down; to collapse
tempering iron; forging steel; wrought iron
true character; true form; true colors; consciousness; one's senses
to be imaginable; to be conceivable
guess; speculation; supposition
to be factually incorrect; to differ from the actual facts; to not be the case
one's superior; higher-up; boss; senior
concern; circumstance which is becoming a problem; case (court)
rash; thoughtless; imprudent; careless; frivolous
power; authority; jurisdiction
papier-mâché; player who is not a dealer (in cards)
yesterday and today; only recently; just recently; only yesterday
deterioration (in quality, performance, etc.); degradation; worsening; (visible) aging; becoming unattractive (due to aging)
to sharpen; to hone; to wash (rice); to scour; to polish
brittle; fragile; weak; tender-hearted; sentimental; easily moved
degradation over time; time-related deterioration
use; application; employment; utilization; utilisation
to bear; to stand; to support; to withstand; to be fit for; to be equal to
disposal; abandonment; scrapping; annulment; cancellation; abrogation
buying a replacement; replacement purchase
manager; administrator; landlord; root (user)
estimate (of costs); budget
claim; demand; charge; application; request; billing (for a service)
negligence; carelessness; incompetence; mismanagement
to bear responsibility for; to be liable for; to answer for; to take the blame for
theory; reason; logic; (unreasonable) argument; strained logic; excuse
to buy a replacement; to replace (with a new purchase)
like that; that way; thus
successive generations; successive emperors
pretending not to see (something); turning a blind eye (to); closing one's eyes (to); looking the other way
to rot away; to crumble to dust; to decay completely; to die in obscurity
to switch (secretly); to substitute; to replace; to sidestep (an issue)
papier-mâché; something that looks good superficially; sham
diversion into illegal channels; putting on the black market; selling through illegal channels
success in life; getting ahead; successful career; promotion; climbing the corporate ladder; eminence
gift; present; tip; bribe
to take the form of (esp. in ref. to a spirit, fox, raccoon dog, etc.); to assume the shape of; to disguise oneself (as); to change (into); to transform; to change radically (for the better)