if anything; if pushed I'd say; if I had to say
strong-willed; strong of heart
easy to deal with; tractable; manageable
placement; fixed position; mapping out; location
sure; certain; reliable; trustworthy; If I'm not mistaken; If I remember correctly
full of (e.g. mistakes); riddled with; covered all over with (blood, mud, etc.)
criticism; blame; censure; attack; reproach
at this juncture; after all this time; at this stage; now
difficult; tough; formidable; redoubtable; stubborn
to take advantage (of somebody's weaknesses, carelessness, etc.); to impose on
charm; attractiveness; courtesy; ingratiating behaviour; entertainment; amusement
pinioning; binding arms behind the back
Records of the Three Kingdoms; Annals of the Three Kingdoms
only recently; just of late
world view; outlook on the world; Weltanschauung (philosophy); appearance of a world (e.g. in fiction)
cartoon; comic; comic strip; manga
to read; to recite (e.g. a sutra); to chant; to predict; to guess; to decipher; to count
being settled quickly; reaching a quick conclusion; no need to say any more; no problem
showing special confidence and courtesy (to someone, often to convince them to take a post, etc.)
wisdom; wit; sagacity; prajna (insight leading to enlightenment)
now that you mention it; come to think of it; that reminds me; on that subject; speaking of which
school centred on preparing students to get into university; high-level school a person has entered
deviation value (usu. scaled to mean of 50, standard deviation of 10, and often used for academic grades); deviation; T-score; standard score
barrier; obstacle; difficulty; hurdle; deadlock
success; passing (e.g. exam); eligibility
bright person; talented student; prodigy
(those) who are; (that) which is; in the capacity of
to wrinkle up (one's eyebrows, one's nose); to furrow; to crimple
troubled face; worried expression
to lead someone around by the nose
curtain; bunting; act (in play)
origin; source; base; basis; cause; ingredient; material
one more; another; the other; not quite; not very good; lacking
to feel that something is true or actually happening; to hit one (realization, thought); to sink in
dissatisfaction with the work (role) given to one; feeling oneself above the given work (role); not up to the task; (being) out of one's depth
I wonder; do you think?; I might; some kind; some stage; somehow
exquisite; superb; perfect; miraculous
possession (by a spirit, etc.); dependence; depending on
fascination; to charm; to fascinate; to mesmerize
no problem; all right; not an issue; unobjectionable
in one's own way or style