A: Nĭ zhăng dé zhēn piàoliang.
A：你 长 得 真 漂亮。
You are so beautiful.
B: Nălĭ nălĭ.
B：哪里 哪里！
You flatters me.
A: Méimao, yănjing, ĕrduo, bízi, zuĭ chù chù dōu piàoliang!
A：眉毛、 眼睛、 耳朵、鼻子、嘴 处 处 都 漂亮！
Your eyebrows, your eyes…everywhere (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, “Where? 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…everywhere (on you) is beautiful.”
