A：你长得真漂亮。
Nĭ zhăng dé zhēn piàoliang.
You are so beautiful.
B：哪里哪里！
Nălĭ nălĭ.
You flatters me.
A：眉毛、眼睛、耳朵、鼻子、嘴处处都漂亮！
Méimao, yănjing, ĕrduo, bízi, zuĭ chù chù dōu piàoliang!
Your eyebrows, your eyes…everywher (on you) is beautiful.
Analysis
In China, 哪里(nălĭ) is used not just for asking directions, but also as a way of being modest when someone offers you a compliment. The use of 哪里哪里(nălĭ nălĭ) here is a way of deflecting the compliment as if by saying, "wher? I don't know what you're talking about." The punch line, then, comes from A's literal response to the question: "Your eyebrows, your eyes…everywher (on you) is beautiful."
Nĭ zhăng dé zhēn piàoliang.
You are so beautiful.
B：哪里哪里！
Nălĭ nălĭ.
You flatters me.
A：眉毛、眼睛、耳朵、鼻子、嘴处处都漂亮！
Méimao, yănjing, ĕrduo, bízi, zuĭ chù chù dōu piàoliang!
Your eyebrows, your eyes…everywher (on you) is beautiful.
Analysis
In China, 哪里(nălĭ) is used not just for asking directions, but also as a way of being modest when someone offers you a compliment. The use of 哪里哪里(nălĭ nălĭ) here is a way of deflecting the compliment as if by saying, "wher? I don't know what you're talking about." The punch line, then, comes from A's literal response to the question: "Your eyebrows, your eyes…everywher (on you) is beautiful."
