noun:

• performing a rakugo story on the spot based on three topics given by the audience; impromptu rakugo story based on three subjects

expression:

• the word of a wise man is worth the words of one thousand fools; one thousand chirps of sparrows, one cry of a crane [literal] - proverb

noun:

• the system in government offices and business corporations in which draft proposals are prepared by someone in charge of the matter and circulated for collective deliberation and final approval by particular (designated) officials or executives - four character idiom

ichidan verb / intransitive verb:

• to tower above the rest; to be by far the best; to be prominent; to be outstanding; to be a cut above

noun:

• attitude that with the state as one's boss, normal fiscal accountability can be dispensed with; dependence on the central government; attitude of those who assume their jobs are safe because they are government employees

noun:

• blue dragon ➜ 青竜
• Azure Dragon (god said to rule over the eastern heavens) ➜ 青竜
• seven mansions (Chinese constellations) of the eastern heavens - Astronomy term ➜ 二十八宿
• large horse with a bluish-leaden coat
• shape of an old pine tree

noun:

• scent of a flower floating about in the air; lingering scent of a flower in the darkness

expression:

• curiously; curiously enough; oddly enough; to the point of being mysterious; to the extent of being strange

adverbial noun / noun:

• sixth month of the lunar calendar (approx. July) - obsolete term
• June; sixth month of Gregorian calendar

noun:

• triangles of sweet rice jelly topped with adzuki beans (eaten in the sixth month) - Food term

noun:

• hardship now, pleasure later; seeking pleasure only after dealing with difficulties; seeking pleasure only after the happiness of the people is assured (a precept to be observed by a ruler) - four character idiom

noun:

• old-fashioned boys' hairstyle
• Meiji period women's hairstyle
• type of dance in kabuki ［揚げ巻・揚巻］
• knots in colour of four cardinal points hanging from the roof above the ring (color) ［揚げ巻・揚巻］ - Sumo term
• constricted tagelus (Sinonovacula constricta); Chinese razor clam - abbreviation ➜ 揚巻貝

godan ~く verb / transitive:

• to prick; to stab
• to poke; to prod; to push; to thrust; to nudge; to hit; to strike
• to use (a cane); to prop oneself up with; to press against (the floor, etc.)
• to attack
• to brave (the rain, etc.)

noun:

• the problem (at issue); the point at issue; problematic issue; problem

noun:

• picture of the world; world picture; image of the world; Weltbild

noun:

• member of the lower house; member of the House of Representatives

noun:

• Buddhist service in which the eight scrolls of the Lotus Sutra are read one scroll at a time (one morning and one evening reading each day for four days with a different reciter each time)

temporal noun:

• at the worst time; at worst; at the worst level

noun:

• different in appearance but essentially the same in content; equal in skills or workmanship but different in style or artistic flavor; the same for all practical purposes - four character idiom ➜ 同工異曲【どうこういきょく】

noun:

• something heard for the first time; hearing something for the first time

expression / godan ~う verb:

• to have the (full, general) selection available; to have (a lineup) from A to Z; to have the full array of

expression:

• after pleasure comes pain; there is no pleasure without pain; there is no rose without a thorn; take the good with the bad - proverb

noun:

• an offering of tea and hot water made to Buddha or the spirit of the deceased
• a tea infusion; tea and hot water
• tea ceremony ➜ 茶の湯

expression:

• those who wish to rule the land must first cultivate their own characters, then manage their families, then govern their states; only then can they bring peace to the land (a mantra of Confucianism) - proverb

godan ~る verb / transitive:

• to pull; to draw; to pull tight
• to string (lines); to run (cable); to stretch
• to pull towards oneself (e.g. someone's sleeve)
• to drag; to haul; to tow
• to lead (e.g. one's followers)
• to take someone somewhere (e.g. a suspect to the police)
• to tempt into joining; to strongly invite to join
• to delay; to prolong
• to lengthen the pronunciation (of a word)
• to quote; to cite; to reference
• to pull the ball - Baseball term
• to wear; to put on

ichidan verb / transitive:

• to work (for); to be employed (at); to serve (in) - usu. 勤める
• to serve (as); to act (as); to fill (the position of); to play the role (of) - usu. 務める
• to conduct a religious service - usu. 勤める