- Li Shimin, personal name of second Tang emperor Taizong 唐太宗[Tang2 Tai4 zong1] (599-649), reigned 626-649
- ambitious and ruthless character; formidable person
- have no choice or option but to; cannot but; have to; can't help it; can't avoid
- to lay down; to put down; to let go of; to relinquish; to set aside; to lower (the blinds etc)
- a woman's physique; figure; posture on stage
- Wei Zheng (580-643), Tang politician and historian, notorious as a critic, editor of History of the Sui Dynasty 隋書|隋书
- sharp; intense; penetrating; pointed; acute (illness)
- advice; to advise
- to have low self-esteem; to abase oneself
- for; for the purpose of; in order to
- to withstand; to resist; to stand off; antagonism; confrontation
- Wu Zetian (624-705), Tang empress, reigned 690-705
- imperial examination
- 考 kǎo: 考 kao3: to beat; to hit; to inspect; to test; to take an exam考 kǎo: 考 kao3: to check; to verify; to test; to examine; to take an exam; to take an entrance exam for; deceased father
- verse
- large quantities of
- ground floor; first floor; lowest level; lowest rung (of society etc)
- to pay particular attention to; carefully selected for quality; tastefully chosen
- family status
- 牛 Níu: 牛 Niu2: surname Niu牛 níu: 牛 niu2: ox; cow; bull; CL:條|条[tiao2],頭|头[tou2]; newton (abbr. for 牛頓|牛顿[niu2 dun4]); (slang) awesome
- 李 lǐ: 李 li3: plum李 Lǐ: 李 Li3: surname Li
- Bai Juyi (772-846), Tang dynasty poet
- 诗 Shī: 诗 Shi1: abbr. for Shijing 詩經|诗经[Shi1 jing1], the Book of Songs诗 shī: 诗 shi1: poem; CL:首[shou3]; poetry; verse
- to send; to give as a present
- prime minister (in feudal China)
- to look down upon; to despise
- low; beneath; to lower (one's head); to let droop; to hang down; to incline
- north; the northern part a country; China north of the Yellow River
- each other; mutual
- hostile; malevolence; antagonism; to view as enemy; to stand against
- a bit; a little bit; (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit; (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er; a point (in a discussion etc); (calligraphy) dot stroke (、); one o'clock (abbr. for 一點鍾|一点钟[yi1 dian3 zhong1])
- no less than; not inferior to
- difference; discrepancy
- different tunes played with equal skill (idiom); different methods leading to the same result; different approach but equally satisfactory outcome
- clever; wonderful
- to grow; to grow up; to be brought up
- to draw on (others' experience); to learn from (how others do things); lesson to be learned (by observing others)
- road; path; way; CL:條|条[tiao2]
- rather than... (used in expressions of the form 與其|与其[yu3 qi2] + {verb1} + 不如[bu4 ru2] + {verb2} "rather than {verb1}, better to {verb2}")
- 何 hé: 何 he2: what; how; why; which; carry何 Hé: 何 He2: surname He
- to participate; to take part; to join
- phenomenon; CL:個|个[ge4],種|种[zhong3]; appearance