- 自作聪明 zìzuòcōngmíng presumptuousto think oneself clever; to act smart
- 小聪明 xiǎocōngming trivial clevernesscleverness in unimportant matters or being sharp but petty-minded
- 聪明才智 cōngmingcáizhì intelligence and talentintelligence and ability
- 聪明伶俐 cōngminglínglì clever(idiom) bright, clever, and quick-witted
- 聪明绝顶 cōngmingjuédǐng brillianthighly intelligent; brilliant
- 冰雪聪明 bīngxuěcōngming exceptionally intelligent
- 聪明反被聪明误 cōngmíngfǎnbèicōngmíngwù cleverness backfiringa clever person may become the victim of his own ingenuity; cleverness may overreach itself; too smart for one's own good
- 绝顶聪明 juédǐngcōngming brillianthighly intelligent; brilliant
- 聪明一世，糊涂一时 cōngmingyīshì, hútuyīshí momentary lapseEven the wisest can have a momentary lapse in judgment; every man has a fool in his sleeve.
- 机关算尽太聪明，反算了卿卿性命 jīguānsuànjìntàicōngming, fǎnsuànleqīngqīngxìngmìng over-calculating backfiresIf one is too calculating, it will be the cause of one's own undoing (famous line in "A Dream of Red Mansions").
- 耍小聪明 shuǎxiǎocōngming get smartto display one's cleverness in a shallow, annoying, or counterproductive way
- 事后聪明 shìhòucōngming hindsightwise after the event; with hindsight, one should have predicted it
- 聪明过头 cōngmingguòtóu overclevertoo clever by half; excessive ingenuity