The saying 聪明反被聪明误 (cleverness backfires) is a famous Chinese proverb warning against being too clever. It comes from the novel 'Dream of the Red Chamber' (红楼梦), describing the scheming character Wang Xifeng.
usage
聪明 is always positive. For 'clever in a cunning way,' use 狡猾 (jiǎohuá). For 'wise,' use 智慧 (zhìhuì) or 明智 (míngzhì).
