Episode
How to say someone is smart… or silly in Chinese? “聪明”vs“笨”：中文里不止一种说法
- Podcast
- Takeaway Chinese
- Published
- May 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1727
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- 1_2720144
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Summary
In Chinese, intelligence isn't just about IQ. Someone can be 聪明 (smart), 机灵 (clever), 精明 (shrewd), or even 大智若愚 (great wisdom under the guise of folly) — and each word reveals a different way Chinese speakers think about wisdom, personality, and social behavior. In our new episode of Takeaway Chinese, we're exploring how Chinese speakers describe smart, clever, silly, goofy, and everything in between. (02:08) Different ways to say "smart" in Chinese (11:24) Calling your partner "dumb" in Chinese can actually sound romantic?