大聪明

• Pinyin: dà cōng míng
• Hanzi breakdown: 大 (big) + 聪明 (smart) -> sarcastically too clever by half.

Meaning

A sarcastic label for someone making a foolish move while seeming clever. It literally says big smart person but often means the opposite.

大聪明 is used when someone overthinks, shows off, or makes a counterproductive clever move. Tone is usually ironic, though friends may use it playfully.

Examples

1. 你真是大聪明，把门反锁了。 You're such a genius, locking the door from the inside.
2. 这个大聪明方案把问题变复杂了。 This so-called clever plan just made the problem more complicated.
3. 别装大聪明，先按流程来。 Don't act clever, just follow the process first.

Usage Guide

Context: friends, work-casual, comments

Tone: sarcastic, teasing

Do Say

• 你这个大聪明，反而弄错了。（You clever one, you made it wrong instead.）

Don't Say

• 对不熟的人说大聪明。（It can sound insulting.）

Common Mistakes

• Taking it as literal praise; context often makes it sarcastic.

Origin & History

An ironic use of 大, big, and 聪明, smart, to mock fake cleverness.

Cultural Context

Era: 2020s

Generation: Gen Z and online users

Social background: Mainstream meme and comment culture

Regional notes: Common in Mainland short-video and comment speech.