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A sign near some grass says:

不要为你的美丽伤了我

And an English translation says:

Don't hurt me for your pretty

That's pretty close to what google translate says — and I can't see any reason to dispute it. But I can't make sense of the sentence. (I might guess from the context it's something like "don't step on the lawn" or "no littering or vandalism" or something like that. So what on earth could it mean?

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3 Answers 3

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This is quite typical of language in mainland-Chinese public service announcement type signs, which tend to be quite "cutesy" in tone. Stuff like personifying inanimate objects (such as flowers) and writing it from the object's point of view fits with this tone.

The literal meaning is:

don't hurt me for [the sake of] your beauty

Which I suppose is hinting that the reason you might trample the grass is to take an attractive selfie/photo.

Edit: From the photo you attached, it's more likely referring to the flowers than the grass (in other words, don't harm the flowers by picking them).

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  • How about not to lie on the grass, (and possibly damaging it), for suntanning which some people may consider as beautifying their looks? Jul 21, 2020 at 5:17
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    Maybe it is a sign to tell people not to pick the flower in the park?
    – Tang Ho
    Jul 21, 2020 at 7:18
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    @WayneCheah Very unlikely. Most Chinese folks think that light skin is more attractive and desirable than dark skin. In China, you can easily find skin-lightening cream, but not fake tan. People will frequently use umbrellas or parasols to block out the sun when walking around on a sunny day. Jul 21, 2020 at 11:25
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不要为你的美丽伤害了我

because some people would think wearing a flower would make people looks more pretty. so this "pretty" is the "你的美丽"

you can understand like this:

摘了我(花朵,放到你的头上)确实能让你美丽, 但是请不要为了达到"你的这种美丽的目的" 而做伤害我的事!

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Not just "mainland-Chinese public service announcement type signs".

Remember Alice in Wonderland? (Or was it Through the Looking Glass?)

"eat me" "drink me"

Probably Lionel Rowe is right, it's meant to discourage people from taking photos on the grass.

Maybe you grow to a great height if you tread on the grass, or disappear in your camera if you take a photo!

不要为你的美丽伤了我。
Don't damage me for your beauty's sake.

不要践踏草地。

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