Congratulations and Compliments

We all need to congratulate our friends and acquaintances from time to time or compliment them on something they have done, the way they look or something new they have bought. If someone has got a new job, passed an exam or won a prize, we can say, "Congratulations!" or "Well done!" When someone compliments you, you should express thanks. This is very different from Chinese manners. If someone says, " You speak English very well" , in English you can reply in a variety of ways. The most common response is "Thank you" .Dont say, "No, no, my English is very poor" , which we often do in Chinese. It is considered impolite to pry into people's personal business. For example, it's fine to say, "That's a beautiful watch" , but it's not all right to add, " How much did you pay for it?" If you know the person extremely well, you may be able to ask some personal questions without offending the person, but you should preface your question with " Do you mind my asking... ?"