自作聪明

自作聰明

zìzuò-cōngmíng

idiom #13,335

Meanings

他自作聪明，结果弄巧成拙。

Tā zìzuòcōngmíng, jiéguǒ nòngqiǎochéngzhuō.

He thought he was being clever, but ended up making things worse.

别自作聪明了，老老实实按规定来。

Bié zìzuòcōngmíng le, lǎolǎoshíshí àn guīdìng lái.

Stop trying to be clever — just follow the rules honestly.

usage

Always derogatory. Used to criticize someone who overestimates their own intelligence and ends up looking foolish or causing problems.

自 zì

作 zuò

聪 cōng

明 míng