说好听点儿…，说难听点儿…
to put it nicely …; to put it bluntly …
Structure
说好听点儿 委婉的说法 ， 说难听点儿 直接的说法
What it means
'To put it nicely …, to put it bluntly …': gives the polite label first, then the harsh truth.
How it is built
说好听点儿 + polite version，说难听点儿 + blunt version, usually with 是 or 就是: 说好听点儿是节约，说难听点儿就是小气 (put nicely it is thrift; put bluntly it is meanness).
When to use it
A spoken frame for saying the unsayable, often half-joking. Relatives: 说白了 (to put it plainly), 说实话 (to be honest), 不客气地说 (frankly).
Watch out
Keep the order: the nice version first, the blunt one last to land the point. Even softened, the second half is a criticism, so take care using it about the listener.
Examples
说好听点儿，这叫“情商”；说难听点儿，就是“看人下菜碟”。
Put nicely it is “emotional intelligence”; put bluntly it is treating people by rank.
说好听点儿是节约，说难听点儿就是小气。
Put nicely it is thrift; put bluntly it is meanness.
Learn this in Lesson 213 · HSK 9+: 弦外之音 (What is left unsaid)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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