Vocabulary

Metal Dog (47th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1910, 1970, 2030)

Water Rat (49th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1912, 1972, 2032)

Wood Tiger (51st term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1914, 1974, 2034)

Wood Rabbit (52nd term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1915, 1975, 2035)

Fire Dragon (53rd term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1916, 1976, 2036)

Fire Snake (54th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1917, 1977, 2037)

Earth Horse (55th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1918, 1978, 2038)

Earth Sheep (56th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1919, 1979, 2039)

Water Dog (59th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1922, 1982, 2042)

Water Boar (60th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1923, 1983, 2043)

precinct of a jail; vicinity of a prison

to set fire (to)

court of law in the Edo period, in which the parties sat on white sand

tenderhearted; faint of heart

killing a younger brother; fratricide

emaciation; emaciated body

small fish bone stuck in one's throat

excursion boat; pleasure boat

cash; money; zeni coin

zeni coin

supposing that; even if

to eke out a living; to barely manage to get by

semiautomatic (gun)

epidemic

to starve and freeze to death

virtuous cycle; virtuous circle

Chrysanthemum Festival (one of the five annual festivals; celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month)

catarrh of the pulmonary apex; pulmonary apicitis; inflammation of the mucous of the upper lung

coloured glass; colored glass

poetic beauty; beauty of a poem

pro bono

locksmith

candle decorated with coloured pictures (esp. of flowers or birds)

sweet-scented

sweet-scented

constellation (in ancient China; important constellations were then used to divide the ecliptic into 28 "mansions")

Indus (constellation); the Indian

Lepus (constellation); the Hare

Boötes (constellation); the Herdsman

celestial body seen only for a short time (e.g. comet)