cōng ming
intelligent
clever
bright
smart
acute (of sight and hearing)
xiǎo cōng ming
clever-clever
clever in trivial matters
sharp but petty-minded
zì zuò cōng míng
to think oneself clever (idiom)
self-styled genius
a smart aleck
bīng xuě cōng ming
exceptionally intelligent (idiom)
cōng míng fǎn bèi cōng míng wù
a clever person may become the victim of his own ingenuity (idiom); cleverness may overreach itself
too smart for one's own good
cōng ming guò tóu
too clever by half
excessive ingenuity
shì hòu cōng ming
wise after the event (idiom); with hindsight, one should have predicted it
shuǎ xiǎo cōng ming
to get smart
to resort to petty tricks
cōng ming yī shì , měng dǒng yī shí
see 聰明一世,糊塗一時|聪明一世,糊涂一时[cong1 ming5 yi1 shi4 , hu2 tu5 yi1 shi2]
cōng ming yī shì , hú tu yī shí
even the wisest can have a momentary lapse in judgement (idiom)
every man has a fool in his sleeve
cōng ming jué dǐng
highly intelligent (idiom)