A well-run business, school, hospital, hotel or country is one that is managed well. The praise here is aimed squarely at the management — at the decisions, the organising, the choosing of people, the setting up of systems. Money is not wasted, staff know what they are doing and stay, problems get dealt with before customers notice, and the place still works when the boss is away.

A well-run business一家經營得好的公司、school學校、hospital醫院、hotel旅館 or country或國家 is one that is managed well就是被管理得很好的那一種。The praise here這裡的稱讚 is aimed squarely at正正對準 the management管理層——at the decisions對準那些決定、the organising組織的安排、the choosing of people人怎麼選、the setting up of systems制度怎麼建立。Money錢 is not wasted不被浪費，staff員工 know what they are doing知道自己在做什麼 and stay也留得下來，problems問題 before customers notice在客人注意到之前 get dealt with就被處理掉，when the boss is away老闆不在的時候 the place still works這地方照樣運作。

Compare it with its cousin 'well-oiled', because students mix them up. 'Well-oiled' looks at the machine moving — the smoothness you can watch. 'Well-run' looks up the chain to whoever is steering. A shop can be well-run and still be quiet and slow; that is fine, because the point is that it is being handled sensibly.

it把它 with its cousin跟它的表親 'well-oiled' Compare比一比，because students因為學生 mix them up常把兩個搞混。'Well-oiled' looks at看的是 the machine moving機器在動——you can watch那種你看得見的 the smoothness順暢。'Well-run' looks up the chain沿著這條鏈往上看 to whoever is steering看向掌舵的那個人。A shop一間店 can be well-run可以經營得好 and still卻仍然 be quiet and slow安靜、生意慢；that is fine那沒關係，because因為 the point is重點是 it is being handled sensibly它正被明理地打理著。

This is calm, practical, respectable English. You meet it in business writing, in news reports, in travel reviews (a small, well-run guesthouse), and in ordinary talk about a company or an office. It is genuine praise, but it is modest praise — it says competent and sound, not exciting or brilliant. Calling a company well-run rather than successful is quietly saying: it may not be flashy, but it will not fall over.

This is這是 calm沉穩、practical實際、respectable正派得體的 English英文。in business writing在商業寫作、in news reports新聞報導、in travel reviews旅遊評論 (a small, well-run guesthouse一間小而經營得好的民宿)，and in ordinary talk about a company or an office和聊到公司、辦公室的日常談話裡 You meet it你都會遇到它。It is genuine praise它是真心的稱讚，but it is modest praise但是含蓄的稱讚——it says它說的是 competent and sound能幹、穩健，not exciting or brilliant而不是令人興奮或才華出眾。Calling a company well-run說一家公司 well-run rather than successful而不說 successful，is quietly saying是在悄悄地說：it may not be flashy它也許不亮眼，but it will not fall over但它不會垮掉。

Grammatically, note that it almost always sits in front of the noun: a well-run hotel. After the verb, English usually goes back to the plain verb form — the hotel is well run, or is run well. You will see the hyphen dropped there.

Grammatically文法上，note that要注意 it almost always它幾乎總是 sits in front of the noun站在名詞前面：a well-run hotel一家經營得好的旅館。After the verb在動詞後面，English usually英文通常 goes back to the plain verb form退回普通的動詞形——the hotel is well run, or is run well這家旅館經營得好，兩種說法都有。You will see你會看到 there在那個位置 the hyphen dropped連字號被拿掉。