ENESFRDE中文

Characters, words, pinyin or English

聪 cōng sharp

sharp; clever

How to remember 聪: 耳 ear + 总 always = sharp. At ninety, Grandma keeps one ear always on the kitchen door and catches every secret, still as sharp as ever.

  • 1,669. most frequent character
  • HSK 3
  • 15 strokes
  • Radical 耳

Component breakdown

聪 = 耳 ear + 总 always

  • 耳 ear
  • 总 always
    • 𠮦
      • 丷 horns
      • 口 mouth
    • 心 heart
The Gushi story

At ninety, Grandma keeps one ear always on the kitchen door and catches every secret, still as sharp as ever.

How it is used

  • Almost exclusively in 聪明 (cōngming) - clever/intelligent: 这孩子很聪明 (zhè háizi hěn cōngming) this kid is smart.
  • Originally 'keen of hearing' (耳 ear component), extended to sharp-witted.
  • 聪明 is general cleverness/brightness; contrast 智慧 (zhìhuì) which is deeper wisdom.
  • 聪明反被聪明误 (cōngming fǎn bèi cōngming wù) = to be undone by one's own cleverness.

Words with 聪

Example sentences

  • 他是个聪明的孩子。 Tā shì gè cōngmíng de háizi.He's a clever boy.
  • 他不但聪明还很勤奋。 Tā búdàn cōngmíng hái hěn qínfèn.He is not only smart but also industrious.