聪 (cōng): clever
聪 (cōng) is a Chinese character meaning “clever.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 耳 (semantic) and 总 (phonetic). It ranks #1656 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 聪 ear. Its radical form 耳 (ear) appears in many related characters such as 闻 (wén, to hear, to smell), 职 (zhí, job, duty), 联 (lián, connect, unite).
Definitions
- clever
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 聪 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 聪
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 自作聪明phrase | zì zuò cōng míng | (idiom) to think oneself clever |
| 小聪明noun | xiǎo cōng ming | clever-clever |
| 聪慧adjective | cōng huì | bright |
| 聪明才智phrase | cōng ming cái zhì | intelligence and ability |
| 失聪verb | shī cōng | to go deaf |
| 聪明伶俐phrase | cōng ming líng lì | (idiom) bright |
| 聪颖adjective | cōng yǐng | smart |
| 聪敏adjective | cōng mǐn | bright |
| 聪明反被聪明误proverb | cōng míng fǎn bèi cōng míng wù | (idiom) a clever person may become the victim of his own ingenuity |
| 耳聪目明phrase | ěr cōng mù míng | sharp ears and keen eyes (idiom) |
| 事后聪明 | shì hòu cōng ming | wise after the event (idiom) |
| 聪明过头 | cōng ming guò tóu | too clever by half |
| 机关算尽太聪明，反算了卿卿性命 | jī guān suàn jìn tài cōng ming , fǎn suàn le qīng qīng xìng mìng | if one is too calculating, it will be the cause of one's own undoing (famous line in "A Dream of Red Mansions" 紅樓夢|红楼... |
| 聪明一世，糊涂一时 | cōng ming yī shì , hú tu yī shí | (idiom) even the wisest can have a momentary lapse in judgment |
| 聪明一世，懵懂一时 | 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 |
聪 appears in 20 compound words: 55 as the first character, 5 as the last, and 40 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 聪 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (5)
Example Sentences
这个孩子很聪明，学东西特别快。
Zhè gè háizi hěn cōngming, xué dōngxi tèbié kuài.
This child is very clever and learns things especially quickly.
聪明选零食不怕胖!营养师推荐6种健康下午茶
cōng míng xuǎn líng shí bù pà pàng ! yíng yǎng shī tuī jiàn 6 zhǒng jiàn kāng xià wǔ chá
Choose your snacks wisely and stay slim! Nutritionists recommend 6 healthy afternoon snacks
陈山聪重回上海参加半马 做出PB到底有几快?
chén shān cōng chóng huí shàng hǎi cān jiā bàn mǎ zuò chū P B dào de yǒu jī kuài ?
Chen Shancong Returns to Shanghai for the Half Marathon—Just How Fast Was His Personal Best?
一周星星|重温“震波枚”张继聪禁女儿观看 自 陈家乐被连诗雅大赞“断舍...
yī zhōu xīng xīng chóng wēn zhèn bō méi zhāng jì cōng jīn nǚ ér guàn kàn zì chén jiā lè bèi lián shī yǎ dà zàn duàn shě . . .
A week of stars|Relive the "shockwave medal" Zhang Jicong forbade his daughter to watch since Chen Jiale was praised by Lian Shiya for "breaking the house...
...?营养师曝“中式小点”热量陷阱 3招教你聪明吃
. . . ? yíng yǎng shī pù zhōng shì xiǎo diǎn rè liàng xiàn jǐng 3 zhāo jiào nǐ cōng míng chī
...? Nutritionist exposes the "Chinese snack" calorie trap 3 tips to teach you to eat smart
NBA/聪明、有策应能力!马刺签资深中锋普拉里到赛...
N B A cōng míng , yǒu cè yīng néng lì ! mǎ cì qiān zī shēn zhōng fēng pǔ lā lǐ dào sài . . .
NBA/Smart, have the ability to respond! Spurs signed senior center Prari to the game...
玛莉既聪明又亲切。
Mǎ lì jì cōngming yòu qīnqiè.
Mary is both intelligent and kind.
她真的很聪明，不是吗？
Tā zhēn de hěn cōngming, bùshìma?
She's really smart, isn't she?
你为什么这么聪明？
Nǐ wèishénme zhème cōngming?
Why are you so smart?
你班里最聪明的小孩是谁？
Nǐ bān lǐ zuì cōngming de xiǎohái shì shéi?
Who's the smartest kid in your class?
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 耳 (ear) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 聪 (cōng) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 聪 have?
What is the radical of 聪?
What are the components of 聪?
What are common words containing 聪?
What characters sound the same as 聪 (cōng)?
Is 聪 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 聪 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.