- 聪明一世，懵懂一时 cōngmingyīshìměngdǒngyīshí even the wisest can have a momentary lapse(idiom) even the wisest can have a momentary lapse in judgment; every man has a fool in his sleeve
- 聪明一世，糊涂一时 cōngmingyīshìhútuyīshí even the wise have lapsesa person who is smart their entire life can still have a momentary lapse in judgment; even the wisest may occasionally do something foolish. Both [[聪明一世|聰明一世|cong1 ming2 yi1 shi4]] and [[糊涂一时|糊塗一時|hu2 tu5 yi1 shi2]] can also be used independently.