Definition
This fixed expression (成语) describes someone who thinks they are clever and acts on that assumption, but ends up making a foolish mistake or overreaching. It's often used to criticise someone who outsmarts themselves by ignoring advice or taking unnecessary risks. The tone is mildly disapproving, suggesting that the person's own cleverness backfired.
f.e.
to think oneself clever but end up looking foolishto outsmart oneself
Examples
- ，自作聪明。Tā zǒngshì yí yì gū xíng, zuìhòu zì zuò cōng ming fǎn'ér chī le dà kuī.He always goes his own way, and in the end his trying to be clever backfired and he suffered a big loss.
- 自作聪明，，。Bié zì zuò cōng ming le, zhè jiàn shì nǐ gēnběn bù dǒng, háishì tīng zhuānjiā de ba.Don't try to be smart about this—you don't understand it at all; you'd better listen to the experts.
- ，自作聪明，。Yí yùdào kùnnan jiù xiǎng zǒu jiéjìng, wǎngwǎng zì zuò cōng ming, fǎn'ér gèng máfan.Whenever you encounter a difficulty, you think of taking shortcuts—that often leads to outsmarting yourself and only makes things more troublesome.
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