center; centre; metropolis
characteristic; feature; idiosyncrasy; spot color (in printing)
to attract interest; to arouse someone's interest
to occupy; to hold; to account for; to make up; to take up
matter; thing; affair; circumstance
literally; to the letter; literal
engine; agency; organisation; system; facility
change; conversion; transformation; transformation
above ground; on the ground; earth's surface; this world; this earth
reigning; controlling; dictating
manufacturing method; recipe; formula
spirit world; underworld; the next world
living up to one's reputation
isolation; separation; remoteness; seclusion; reclusion; inaccessibility
fort; stronghold; fortification
to go wrong; to turn for the worse
coincidence; chance; by chance; unexpectedly; contingency
sorting; arrangement; liquidation; settlement; retrenchment; curtailment
to indulge in; to give oneself up to; to be obsessed by; to be engrossed in; to be lost in; to be absorbed in
(not) at all; (not) in the least; (none) whatsoever
to miss (e.g. a chance); to lose; to set free; to let go; to fail to ...
claim; insistence; assertion; advocacy; emphasis; contention
if one is unlucky; if one is careless; if things don't go well
to bite at; to snap at; to nibble; to get one's teeth into (metaphorically); to get to grips with; to really get into
quite capable of ...; could happen; not unlikely to
without authority; without reason; unnecessarily; recklessly; indiscriminately
to represent; to signify; to reveal; to show; to express; to make widely known
if anything; if pushed I'd say; if I had to say
eccentric; oddball; character; weirdo
to keep secret; to conceal
Sui dynasty (China, 581-618)
to bend oneself forward (esp. in curiosity or excitement); to hang out (e.g. over a balcony)
uncontainable; irrepressible; uncontrollable
to hate; to dislike; to loathe
table; chart; list; memorial to an emperor
as you were; return to your original position!; er, rather
seiza; kneeling with the tops of the feet flat on the floor, and sitting on the soles
to flare up; to burst into flames
passion; enthusiasm; zeal
to give a warning; to remind (a person) of
at once; immediately; right now