场合

　　Where

　　手吻的仪式其实只能在室内，如在私人住宅举办的正式派对上或者大型晚宴社交场合。在室外手吻的话只有两种情况是恰当的：私人花园或者在教堂的前院。

　　The hand-kiss is only ever practiced indoors, at formal parties in private residences or evening  social events, such as galas, with two exceptions: private gardens, or in the forecourtof a church. These are the only outdoor locations where greeting with a hand-kiss is deemed acceptable.

　　时机

　　When

　　吻手礼可以选择在初次见面或者偶然碰面时进行，作为对对方到来的欢迎或者对离开的告别，但是并不是强制性的礼节。

　　It may be at the on the first meeting with someone or at a regular encounter, as greetings on arrival or departure. The rules are not strict here.

　　对象

　　To Whom

　　男士可以手吻已婚女士或者年龄稍大的女性，但是不可以手吻单身女士。如果你是去私人住所参加活动，可以轻吻女主人的手。在别的女士都在场的情况下，如果她们的社会地位不是特别高，无需一个个亲吻。

　　A gentleman may kiss the hand of married or older women, but never young unmarried ladies. If you are attending an event at someone’s home, you may kiss the hand of the hostess,in which case you needn’t do it to other women present, unless they are particularly important or high status.

　　方式

　　How

　　前提

　　Preconditions

　　我认为，手吻的邀请应当由女士发起而不是男士，因为女士拥有选择吻与被吻的权利。如果女士戴着手套，在发出手吻邀请时，应当摘掉手套，除非所参加的场合需要带着手套，如白色领带聚会。

　　In my opinion, the woman should initiate the hand-kiss, never the man. It’s up to her to decide whether or not she wishes her hand to be kissed. If she’s wearing gloves, she should remove the one on the hand to be kissed, unless gloves are required by the dress code of the occasion, such as a white tie gala.

　　女士的手

　　The lady’s hand

　　手吻礼仪中，只可以亲吻女士的右手，并由她自己来决定手的高度。女士只要保持手部和肩膀放松即可。

　　The lady should only be kissed on her right hand, and it’s up to her to decide how high to hold it. She should keep her hand and arm relaxed, not stiff.

　　男士

　　The gentleman

　　男士除了不能主动要求亲吻女士的手之外，也不可以把她伸出的手抬高或降低来匹配自己的身高。有风度的男士应当向她伸出的手微微低头，轻轻扶起。

　　Not only should a gentleman never ask to kiss a lady’s hand, he also mustn’t raise her hand to a height that suits him better. He should lower his head to her hand, while holding it gently.

　　亲吻

　　The kiss

　　无论怎样，手吻并不是‘真正的’吻。男士只要‘亲吻’ 距离女士的手1厘米左右的位置就好了，嘴唇其实并不用接触到女士的皮肤。

　　Despite how it might seem, it’s not a “real” kiss.The gentleman will only “kiss”the air about 1cm above the hand, and his lips shall not make contact with the lady’s skin.

　　结束

　　The release

　　亲吻之后，男士略微抬头，和女士对视并且微笑！如果男士想夸女士，这个时候是最好的时间啦！

　　After the kiss, the gentleman will incline his head upwards slightly and look the lady in the eyes.This is the ideal moment for the gentleman to whisper any compliments he would like to share with her.

　　要避免的一些过失

　　Faux-pas to avoid

　　第一，如果你并不喜欢手吻礼仪或者感觉对方对手吻礼仪并不熟悉的话，那选择免去这项礼节为好。

　　First of all, do not attempt a hand-kiss if you are not comfortable with it, or if you feel the other person won’t know how to do it.

　　如果你要参加一个可能会用到手吻礼仪的社交活动，去之前一定确保温习一遍手吻的规则以免忘记。

　　If you plan to attend a social event where you think you might encounter hand-kissing, you may wish to remind yourself of the rules and practice in advance.

　　手吻礼仪永远都不是必须的；没有这样一个场合一定要求男士必须亲吻女士的手。这永远都是一项个人的选择。

　　The hand-kiss is never mandatory; there isn’t a place or asituation where a lady must let a gentleman kiss her hand, or where a gentleman must do it to a lady. It is simply at one’s own discretion.