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聪明伶俐 (cōng míng líng lì) — clever and quick-witted (said of a person)

Definition

A four-character idiom praising someone as both smart (聪明) and quick-witted (伶俐). Used as a set phrase for people, often children or promising talents — not used for objects or abstract ideas.

verb
clever and quick-witted (said of a person)

Examples

  • 聪明伶俐，。
    Zhè ge xiǎo hái zhēn cōng míng líng lì, yí jiào jiù huì.
    This child is truly bright — learns everything as soon as you teach it.
  • 聪明伶俐，。
    Tā cōng míng líng lì, zǒng néng hěn kuài xiǎng chū bàn fǎ.
    She is clever and sharp-witted and always comes up with solutions quickly.
  • 聪明伶俐，。
    Dà jiā dōu kuā tā cōng míng líng lì, shì gè hǎo miáo zi.
    Everyone praises him for being bright and quick-witted — he's a promising talent.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

聪明clever
聪cōngacute明míngbright
联合Coordinate
伶俐quick-witted
伶língclever俐lìnimble
联合Coordinate

聪明 and 伶俐 both describe quickness of mind, so together they mean clever and nimble.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聰; 聪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
囪
囪cōng聰cōng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聰 has 耳, the ear, beside a right side made of 囪, a window giving the sound, over 心, the heart; the simplified 聪 is a later abbreviation.

Open 聪 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

明 combines 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), showing the sun just rising while the moon has not yet set, or two bright objects in the sky, to express brightness.

Open 明 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman; person
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng伶líng
Same sound today

The left part 人 shows a person, while the right part 令 gives the character 伶 its sound.

Open 伶 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

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