1. Don't say: "You look tired."

 

Why: It implies she doesn't look good.

 

Instead say: "Is everything OK?" We often blurt¹ the "tired" comment when we get the sense that the other person feels out of sorts. So just ask.

 

不要说"You look tired."（你看上去很累。）

 

这句话暗示了她看上去状况不佳。

 

我们可以说"Is everything OK?"（你一切还好吗？）我们会脱口而出"tired"这个词是因为感觉到对方有些消沉，所以直接问原因吧。

 

2. Don't say: "Wow, you've lost a ton of weight!"

 

Why: To a newly trim person, it might give the impression that she used to look unattractive.

 

Instead say: "You look fantastic." And leave it at that. If you're curious about how she got so svelte², add, "What's your secret?"

 

不要说"Wow, you've lost a ton of weight!"（哇塞，你减掉了N多斤啊！）

 

对一个刚恢复苗条的人来说，这句话给她的感觉是自己从前看上去很糟糕。

 

我们可以说"You look fantastic."（你看上去真棒。），并且就此打住。如果你想知道她是如何变苗条的，那就加上一句"What's your secret?"（有啥秘诀呀？）

 

3. Don't say: "You look good for your age."

 

Why: Anything with a caveat³ like this is rude. It's saying, "You look great―compared with other old people. It's amazing you have all your own teeth."

 

Instead say: "You look great."

 

不要说"You look good for your age."（以你的年纪来说，你看上不错啊。）

 

任何像这样带有告诫意味的话语都是粗鲁的。这就是在说：“跟其他老家伙比起来，你看上去不错。你那口牙竟然一颗没掉，太令人惊讶了。”

 

我们应该直接说"You look great."（你看上去很棒。）

 

4. Don't say: "I could never wear that."

 

Why: It can be misunderstood as a criticism. ("I could never wear that because it's so ugly.")

 

Instead say: "You look so good in skinny jeans." If you slip, say something like "I could never wear that...because I wasn't blessed with your long legs."

 

不要说"I could never wear that."（我可不会穿那样的衣服。）

 

这话可以被误解为批评：“那衣服太丑了，我才不要穿。”

 

我们应该说"You look so good in skinny jeans."（你穿紧身牛仔裤很漂亮。）假如你不小心说漏了嘴，那就这么圆回来"I could never wear that...because I wasn't blessed with your long legs."（我是穿不了那裤子……因为我没你那样修长的腿哎。）

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