Looking, at the start, like it will not turn out well. The key is that this is a judgement made EARLY — about a beginning, a first sign, a young person's first attempt — and it is always about how things LOOK, not how they end.

Looking, at the start, like it will not turn out well一開始看起來就不像會有好結果。The key is that this is a judgement made EARLY重點是，這是一個很早就下的判斷 — about a beginning是針對一個開端, a first sign一個初步跡象, a young person's first attempt或一個年輕人的第一次嘗試 — and it is always about how things LOOK而且永遠是在講事情「看起來」怎樣, not how they end不是講結果會怎樣。

That is why the word so often appears in stories where the ending is the opposite: "an unpromising start", "unpromising beginnings", "an unpromising piece of land". English speakers love this word precisely because it sets up a surprise.

That is why the word so often appears in stories這就是為什麼這個字常常出現在故事裡 where the ending is the opposite而故事的結局恰恰相反："an unpromising start"「an unpromising start」不被看好的開始, "unpromising beginnings"「unpromising beginnings」不被看好的起步, "an unpromising piece of land"還有「an unpromising piece of land」一塊看起來沒指望的地。English speakers love this word precisely because it sets up a surprise英語使用者特別喜歡這個字，正是因為它為後面的驚喜鋪路。

Common companions: weather ("the sky looked unpromising"), a business plan, a football season, a student's first essay, a place that looks dull from outside. It is a quiet, slightly formal word — gentler and more polite than "bad" or "hopeless", because it only says how something appears now and leaves the door open. Writers and journalists use it far more than people do in conversation.

Common companions常見的搭配有：weather天氣，比如"the sky looked unpromising"天空看起來不太妙, a business plan一個商業計畫, a football season一個足球球季, a student's first essay一個學生的第一篇作文, a place that looks dull from outside一個從外面看起來很無趣的地方。It is a quiet, slightly formal word這是個低調、稍微正式的字 — gentler and more polite than "bad" or "hopeless"比"bad"或"hopeless"更溫和、更有禮貌, because it only says how something appears now因為它只是在講現在看起來如何, and leaves the door open而留了一線希望。Writers and journalists use it far more than people do in conversation作家和記者用這個字，遠比一般人聊天時用得多。