Sallowness is the look of skin — usually a face — that has gone a little yellow or yellow-grey and does not look well. It is not a warm holiday tan. It is the colour people get when they are ill, very tired, or have been shut indoors too long, and a doctor may also watch for it when the liver is a worry. Everyday English often just says pale or a bit yellow; sallowness is more precise and a little literary. Sallow is the adjective (sallow cheeks); sallowness is the noun, the quality itself. It is never a kind comment, and it should not be used to talk about someone's race — it is about looking unwell, not about a person's natural skin tone.

蠟黃、面色蠟黃