- pair of antithetical phrases; antithetical couplet
- free and unfettered
- antithesis (two lines of poetry matching in sense and sound); to fight; to wage war
- fine work; carefully and neatly done
- nimble; quick; shrewd
- not to pose a problem for sb; cannot stump sb
- absolute; unconditional
- private school
- teacher
- qin and se, two string instruments that play in perfect harmony; marital harmony
- pipa, Chinese lute, with 4 strings, a large pear-shaped body and a fretted fingerboard
- head ornament (in former times); (literary) head; face; looks
- to purse; to pucker (up)
- to baffle; to confound; to stump
- fisherman; to fish
- to sneer at; to ridicule; to taunt
- to tease; to make fun of
- (idiom) all kinds of malevolent or mischievous spirits
- thinking; scheme
- to joke; joke; jest
- to be born; to come into being; to withdraw from worldly affairs
- to talk about; to mention
- to waste all one's previous efforts (idiom); all that has been achieved goes down the drain
- well versed in letters and military technology (idiom); fine scholar and soldier; master of pen and sword
- immensely pleased with oneself (idiom); proud; complacent
- to convince; to subdue; to be convinced; to be bowled over
- Mencius (c. 372-c. 289 BC), Confucian philosopher second only to Confucius; book of the same name, one of the classics of Confucianism
- men and women should not touch hands when they give or receive things (citation, from Mencius)
- (bound form) older brother's wife; sister-in-law
- to drown; to indulge; addicted to; to spoil (a child)
- great sage; mahatma; king; emperor; outstanding personage; Buddha
- did I ever ...? (or "did he ever ...?" etc)
- next-door neighbor; neighboring household