然し我々は眞面目でした。我々は實際偉くなる積でゐたのです。ことにＫは強かつたのです。寺に生れた彼は、常に精進といふ言葉を使ひました。さうして彼の行爲動作は悉くこの精進の一語で形容されるやうに、私には見えたのです。私は心のうちで常にＫを畏敬してゐました。
translation
But we were serious. We were actually on the verge of becoming great. K was especially strong. Born in a temple, he always used the word diligence. It seemed to me that his deeds and actions could all be described by this one word of diligence. I was always in awe of K in my heart.
kanji (pronunciations & definitions)
| 然: -like (ぜん), so (さ), like that, in that way, like that (しか) | 我々: we (われわれ) | 眞面目: serious (まじめ), serious (マジメ), earnest, earnest, sober | 積: product (せき), volume, area |
| 強: a little over (きょう), a little more than, strength, the strong, powerhouse | 寺: temple (Buddhist) (てら), counter for temples (じ) | 生: pure (き), undiluted, raw, crude, raw (なま) | 彼: that (あ), that (あれ), that (アレ), that thing, that thing |
| 精進: concentration (しょうじ), concentration (しょうじん), concentration (そうじ), concentration (そうじん), diligence | 言葉: language (けとば), language (ことば), dialect, dialect, word | 使: messenger (し), police and judicial chief (Heian and Kamakura periods), klesha (polluting thoughts such as greed, hatred and delusion, which result in suffering) | 動作: movement (of the body) (どうさ), action, motion, gesture, bearing |
| 一語: one word (いちご) | 形容: description (けいよう), expression (in words), qualification (e.g. of a noun with an adjective), modification, figurative expression | 私: I (わたし), me, I (あたくし), I (あたし), I (アタシ) | 見: looking (み), viewing, (please) try (to), view (of life, etc.) (けん), outlook |
| 畏敬: reverence (いけい), awe, respect |