# Sorry for my messy writing!



## yuechu

大家好！

I don't have the best handwriting in English, and it is unfortunately much worse in Chinese (although it will hopefully get better with practice!). I was wondering how to say "Sorry for my messy writing!" in Chinese, if I write something down for someone in English or Chinese and then realize that it is not as legible as it should be. Would anyone know how to say this?
Thanks!


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## Skatinginbc

書法拙劣, 敬請見諒。
信筆塗鴉, 請多包涵。

(我大字識不得幾個, 書法又不好,) 胡亂塗鴉, 還請見諒。


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## hx1997

（我的）字写得很潦草，不好意思。


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## nosaijin

hx1997 said:


> （我的）字写得很潦草，不好意思。


I'd go for this one. Expressions in #2 may fit in a formal letter or conversation, but they are not quite ideomatic and can be pretentious in daily life.


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## SuperXW

I don't know why Skatinginbc always loves to change the daily-life style into elegant intellectual style...That is simply wrong in my opinion. Because by doing this, the context, the speaker's tone and even personality are changed. This is not translating, but misguiding...


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## Ghabi

SuperXW said:


> elegant intellectual style...


Unfortunately, they are neither "elegant" nor "intellectual".


> That is simply wrong in my opinion.


Certainly not just in your opinion.


> This is not translating, but misguiding...


Indeed.


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## SimonTsai

有點兒 (潦) 草: Your handwriting is not very tidy, although readable.
很很很 (潦) 草: You think that your handwriting is scarcely legible.


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## yuechu

Thank you all for your suggestions! I think I will go for one of the more informal ones for now.

@SimonTsai
 Your handwriting is very good! (not messy at all, in my opinion!)

Just a question about 潦草. One dictionary says it is liáocǎo and the character 潦 by itself is pronounced lǎo. Are these both correct and common pronunciations of this character (潦)?
谢谢！


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## brofeelgood

我的字寫得
- 很難看 (ugly)
- 慘不忍睹/不堪入目 (so bad it doesn't bear looking at)

潦草 (slapdash, disorganised) is always liao2 cao3.


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## SimonTsai

潦 is typically used in 潦草, and 潦倒, where 潦 is pronounced as 'liáo'.

潦 is pronounced as 'lào' or 'lǎo_'_ when it means a deluge, as a result of a heavy fall of rain.


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## Skatinginbc

yuechu said:


> I don't have the best handwriting in English, and it is unfortunately much worse in Chinese (although it will hopefully get better with practice!).


樓主這樣描述，讓我以為, 他講的是小學程度的 penmanship，which "will hopefully get better with practice".   小學生歪歪扭扭、亂七八糟的字是「潦草」嗎？  不是!   記得兒時，想「草」都不知怎個「草」法，挺羨慕大人的草書。若與「速度、草率」無關，也就不是 scribble (= to write hastily or carelessly) 或 「潦草」的概念。  不是潦草，那是什麼？  小學生塗鴉。 所以，我沒用順口的「潦草」，而用了文縐縐的「塗鴉」。 若這樣想因此誤導了讀者，還望各位寬宏大量。 我大腦生來如此，實在無法自控，唯一的解決方法是自我驅逐，以免誤人子弟。


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## hx1997

I think Skatinginbc has a point here. 潦草 usually suggests "careless/hasty", and if someone's handwriting is messy not because they are being careless or hasty, but because they are really not good at it, then perhaps it shouldn't be called 潦草. In that case, I think 字写得不好/有点乱 may be a better way to put it.

As to Simon's remark about 很 and 有点儿, I agree, but I'd like to think of my use of 很潦草 as being 谦虚.


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## yuechu

Oh, that's a good distinction to know. Thanks, Skatinginbc!


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## Skatinginbc

我的心路歷程：讀了樓主的語境解說之後，我覺得樓主講的 "messy writing" 是 "chicken scratch"--亂而難辨。 潦不潦草，好不好看，均非重點。  我才疏學淺，只想到「塗鴉」, 認為其與 "chicken scratch" 的概念最接近。

塗鴉：(原意)紙上亂塗，把字寫得像一團一團的烏鴉(墨汁是黑色的).
塗：亂塗 (messy)
鴉：把字寫得像烏鴉(難辨, illegible)


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## yuechu

I'm actually not sure how much of it is that I don't write that well to begin with and how much is that I just don't take the time to write it carefully. When I am teaching, or when I really want to make sure something looks good (and I have the time to), I actually am capable of writing at least as well as the average person in English. Although my handwriting is not always that good, it is not so bad that I would call it "chicken scratch"! 



hx1997 said:


> I agree, but I'd like to think of my use of 很潦草 as being 谦虚.


Yes, exactly! Me too. In reality, what I was looking for was how to say it in order to be 谦虚. (I was told that it is always good to be 谦虚 in East Asian cultures. In any case, I try to be 谦虚...)


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## SuperXW

在“潦草”这点上，我也倾向于认同Skatinginbc。
题主是“字写得不好/难看”，而非“草/潦草”。

但是无论是抱歉还是谦虚，你的“文绉绉”不在于“没用潦草”，而是整个句子……具体问题不列了，太明显了……我们这儿不管这叫抱歉或谦虚，而是叫“装x”……


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## SimonTsai

hx1997 said:


> [...] if someone's handwriting is messy [...] because they are really not good at it, then perhaps it shouldn't be called 潦草.


While 潦草, admittedly, is not the best word, personally, I do not find it so objectionable that I would feel the urge to replace it, in all likelihood because, to me, 草 emphasises marginally more upon untidiness than upon hastiness, given the set phrase 雜草叢生. (You may have a look at these pictures.)


> I think 字写得有点乱 may be a better way to put it.


醜 is equally natural.


> I think 字写得不好 may be a better way to put it.


I'm more inclined to say, '不太好看'.


yuechu said:


> I actually am capable of writing at least as well as the average person in English.


@yuechu, if you think that your handwriting is average, although possibly barely passable, do not describe it as messy, I would say, because excessive humility is liable to amount to affectedness, which is not what you would love.


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## yuechu

SimonTsai said:


> @yuechu, if you think that your handwriting is average, although possibly barely passable, do not describe it as messy, I would say, because excessive humility is liable to amount to affectedness, which is not what you would love.


My handwriting can actually range from messy to relatively neat, so it really depends. I think I see what you mean about being too humble though.

(If this next part is considered off-topic, I apologize in advance!)
I was taught, years ago, that when one receives a compliment in Chinese (or other East Asian languages), that it's not polite to say "Thank you" or accept the compliment. (A rule that I may take too seriously sometimes...) Is this still true nowadays? (I think it might be more true traditionally than with young people, right?) At least, I think there is somewhat of a cultural difference, right? (or was that statement (about not accepting compliments) wrong? I can certainly see now that it is not always true!)
If someone compliments you in Chinese (such as "You have really good handwriting!"), what would a person typically say?
Thanks!


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## Skatinginbc

陳述主觀事實：抱歉，我字寫得有點潦草。
自謙：我字如其人，不怎麼好看。


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## yuechu

Thanks again for your help, Skatinginbc!
Does "我字如其人" mean "My writing is like other people's"?


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## Skatinginbc

My handwriting is like my looks, which are not very pleasant to the eyes.


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## nosaijin

yuechu said:


> If someone compliments you in Chinese (such as "You have really good handwriting!"), what would a person typically say?
> Thanks!


You can simply smile and say謝謝. I believe this is now a more common saying, and sometimes people even say it twice(謝謝, 謝謝). You are right that the "rule" is not always true now.

Other typical replies I might say and usually hear include: 沒有啦(used most often), 還好啦, 還可以啦, 還行啦, etc.


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## yuechu

Those are good to know! Thanks, nosaijin! 

Thanks again for your explanation, Skatinginbc!


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## hx1997

yuechu said:


> I think it might be more true traditionally than with young people, right?


Exactly. Older people tend to respond to compliments in the time-honored 谦虚 way.  Young people are more likely to take them with a thanks. But it also depends on how well you know the person who complimented you. If they are strangers or just acquaintances, it's always safe to deflect the compliments, or you may sound, as you say, not polite. If they are friends, then you can usually relax and just say thank you. If they are very close friends, I'm sure you know you can even brag about yourself.

And I like nosaijin's suggestions--没有啦 etc.--very much. You can say those instead of 哪里哪里. 哪里哪里 sounds like something of an overkill in informal settings and people may find it affected (again, it depends on familiarity. There's absolutely no reason to consider a stranger's 自谦 as pretentious).


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## yuechu

hx1997 said:


> If they are strangers or just acquaintances, it's always safe to deflect the compliments, or you may sound, as you say, not polite. If they are friends, then you can usually relax and just say thank you. If they are very close friends, I'm sure you know you can even brag about yourself.


Oh, I didn't know this. Thanks for the advice, hx1997!


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## SimonTsai

< --- >


hx1997 said:


> Young people are more likely to take them with a thanks.


As a 21-year-old, I would say yes, I am in agreement.


> [...] or you may sound, as you say, not polite.


With all due respect, I take issue with this statement.

It is always appropriate for a gentleman or a lady to react to a sincere compliment by smiling and saying 'Thank you'. A genuine praise is like a present.  It may not be a good idea to decline a gift you deserve every time.

< Side comment removed. Cagey, moderator >


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## hx1997

SimonTsai said:


> It is always appropriate for a gentleman or a lady to react to a sincere compliment by smiling and saying 'Thank you'.



Well, I didn't mean saying "thank you" to strangers or acquaintances is not appropriate. What I said was if you don't deflect the compliments, you _may_ (not _will_) sound impolite. They are not mutually exclusive: you can say "thank you" and then deflect/deny/return the compliments, for example 谢谢，都是您教导有方啊。In fact, if I receive a compliment from my boss (in the future), I will probably deflect it rather than just say thanks. (For the record, I don't mean I will suck up to the boss. I mean to deflect it by, for example, giving credit to my team.)


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