A pleasantry is a polite little thing you say so the talk stays smooth — ‘How are you?’, a light joke about the weather, ‘Lovely to see you’ — not because the content matters much.

A pleasantry客套話is是a polite little thing一句禮貌的小話you say你會說的，so目的是讓the talk stays smooth談話保持順暢——像'How are you?'「你好嗎」、a light joke about the weather關於天氣的小玩笑、'Lovely to see you'「很高興見到你」——not because不是因為the content matters much內容有多重要。

The word is slightly old-fashioned and a bit formal; you find it in writing and in the plural, pleasantries, more than in casual speech.

The word這個字is是slightly old-fashioned有點過時，and a bit formal也有點正式；you你比較會看到find it in writing在文章裡and和in the plural用複數pleasantries，more than而比較少in casual speech出現在平常口語裡。

After they exchanged pleasantries, they got down to business is the classic pattern: first the social noise, then the real subject.

'After they exchanged pleasantries, they got down to business'寒暄過後就進入正題is是the classic pattern經典的句型：first先是the social noise場面話，then然後才是the real subject真正的主題。

It does not mean ‘a pleasant thing’ in general, and it is not quite the same as a joke (a joke is trying to be funny; a pleasantry is trying to be civil).

It它does not mean不是指'a pleasant thing'「令人愉快的事」in general泛指的意思，and而且it它is not quite the same as也不完全等於a joke玩笑——a joke玩笑is trying to be funny是想搞笑；a pleasantry客套話is trying to be civil則是想保持禮貌。

Used with a slight smile, it can even hint that the niceties were empty.

Used with a slight smile帶著一點微笑說的時候，it它can even甚至可以hint暗示that the niceties were empty那些客套話其實是空的。