rivers and lakes / all corners of the country / remote areas to which hermits retreat / section of society operating independently of mainstream society, out of reach of the law / the milieu in which wuxia tales play out (cf. 武俠|武侠[wu3xia2]) / (in late imperial times) world of traveling merchants, itinerant doctors, fortune tellers etc / demimonde / (in modern times) triads / secret gangster societies / underworld
the not-very-distant past / modern times, excluding recent decades / (in the context of Chinese history) the period from the Opium Wars until the May 4th Movement (mid-19th century to 1919) / capitalist times (pre-1949)
Book of History / a compendium of documents in various styles, making up the oldest extant texts of Chinese history, from legendary times down to the times of Confucius
true sentiments are seen in hard times (idiom) / you see who your true friends are when you go through tough times together / you see who your true friends are when you are in difficulties
(idiom) a thing should not be attempted more than three times / don't repeat the same mistake again and again / (idiom) bad things don't happen more than three times
(idiom) (when followed by 不[bu4]) at no time / never (Note: 無時無刻不|无时无刻不[wu2shi2-wu2ke4 bu4] therefore means "at no time not ...", i.e. "at all times".) / (when not followed by 不[bu4]) at all times / always
south of Changjiang or Yangtze river / south of the lower reaches of Changjiang / often refers to south Jiangsu, south Anhui and north Zhejiang provinces / a province during Qing times / in literature, refers to the sunny south / Gangnam (district in Seoul, South Korea)
military skill or technique (in former times) / all kinds of martial art sports (some claiming spiritual development) / self-defense / tradition of choreographed fights from opera and film (recent usage) / also called kungfu 功夫 / CL:種|种[zhong3]
to subdue / to check / to bring under control / (in former times) what one is allowed to wear depending on social status / uniform (army, party, school etc) / livery (for company employees) / CL:套[tao4]
middle period of a tripartite provincial exam (in former times) / midfield / mid-court (in sports) / half-time / intermission half-way through a performance
to continue in a post / (to hold a post) several times in succession / (to win a title) in successive years / to stay at number one / to defend a championship
old-style money shop (a type of private bank that first appeared in the Ming dynasty, flourished in the Qing, and was phased out after 1949) / (in recent times) informal financial company, often operating at the edges of what is legal
(fig.) gulf / chasm / wide gap / (originally) the Hong Canal in Henan, which in ancient times formed the border between enemies Chu 楚[Chu3] and Han 漢|汉[Han4]
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