Holy Spirit, civil and military

It's a lot of talk - liú kǒu cháng tán

are plump and sturdy - biāo féi tǐ zhuàng

tight-lipped - shǒu kǒu rú píng

keep abreast - lián biāo bìng zhěn

leadership rendered ineffectual by recalcitrant subordinates - wěi dà nán diào

support oneself - zì shí qí lì

Climbing on high - dēng gāo lǚ wēi

Beat people in the dark - àn chuí dǎ rén

set the Thames a great coup - yī míng jīng rén

Happy and bitter - lè jiē kǔ duō