Vocabulary

fantail pigeon

domestic pigeon

domestic pigeon

white-bellied green pigeon (Treron sieboldii)

finch

zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

school with a high proportion of graduates accepted into high-ranking universities; school focused on preparing students to get into high-ranking universities

common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)

congratulation; celebration

longevity celebration (on one's 40th, 50th, 60th, etc. birthday)

longevity celebration (of age 42, 61, 70, 77, 80, 88, 90 or 99)

longevity celebration for one's 88th year

yao (line representing yin or yang that comprises one third of an I Ching trigram)

yang yao (unbroken line composing one third of a trigram)

yin yao (broken line composing one third of a trigram)

three methods of Chinese divination (Lian Shan of the Xia period, Gui Cang of the Yin period and Zhou Yi of the Zhou period)

Gui Cang (Yin-period method of Chinese divination)

Chinese lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata); sericea lespedeza

Chinese lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata); sericea lespedeza

divination sticks

Chinese lespedeza

divination (using bamboo divination sticks)

sticks used for counting

wooden skewer used for counting

commentary (on any of the 384 lines of the hexagrams in the Book of Changes)

commentary (on any of the 64 hexagrams in the Book of Changes)

impossible proposition; unreasonable proposal; tall order

shift away from rice consumption; consumers losing interest in eating rice

un-Japanese in appearance or character

northwest

li (one of the trigrams of the I Ching: fire, south)

kan (one of the trigrams of the I Ching: water, north)

zhen (one of the trigrams of the I Ching: thunder, east)

xun (one of the trigrams of the I Ching: wind, southeast)

southwest

earthly branches (the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac)

cash on delivery; COD

statutory rape; sexual activity with a minor under the age of consent

using a new brush for the first time

genuine article; real thing; real deal