很聪明
hěn cōngmíng
很聪明 (hěn cōngmíng) is the Chinese phrase for very smart.
The phrase is used to describe someone having a high level of intelligence or mental ability.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of 很 (hěn), meaning 'very' and 聪明 (cōngmíng), meaning 'smart' or 'clever'.
Which one should you use?
While 很聪明 is the standard way to say very smart, you can use 极其聪明 to mean extremely intelligent or exceptionally smart or the more intense 聪明过人 to mean brilliant or a genius. In casual settings, you might use the informal 超级聪明 to mean super smart.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, when using an adjective like 聪明 to describe a subject, the adverb 很 is typically used instead of the verb 'to be' (是).
How do you pronounce it?
hěn cōngmíng
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use 是 (shì, 'to be') before an adjective, resulting in 他是很聪明 instead of the more natural 他很聪明.
Did you know?
- The character 聪 (cōng) includes the radical for 'ear' 耳, reflecting an ancient belief that true intelligence begins with the ability to listen.
- To describe a 'genius', Chinese uses 天才 (tiāncái), which literally means 'heavenly talent' and suggests intelligence is a divine gift.
- While 很 (hěn) translates to 'very', in the phrase 很聪明 it often serves as a grammatical placeholder and may not actually add any intensity to the word 'smart'.
Examples in context
- 你很聪明。You're very smart.Tatoeba #4264976 by notabene, translation #2094574 by MethodGT
- 他很聪明，而且他很帅。He's very smart, and he's handsome too.Tatoeba #346771 by fucongcong, translation #432741 by aliene
- 他是一个极其聪明的学生。He is an extremely intelligent student.
- 她是一位聪明过人的科学家。She is a brilliant scientist.
- 他是个超级聪明的小孩。He is a super smart kid.
- 我们的队长智商高，每次都能找到最佳解决方案。Our team leader is very smart, they always find the best solutions.
- 那个孩子很聪明。nà ge hái zi hěn cōng ming.That child is very smart.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a classmate's high test score.
- 梓涵 Zihan梓涵：你看到他的分数了吗？Nǐ kàndào tā de fēnshù le ma?Did you see his score?
- 俊杰 Junjie俊杰：看到了，他真的很聪明。Kàndào le, tā zhēn de hěn cōngmíng.I did, he is really very smart.
- 梓涵 Zihan梓涵：我也觉得他学得很快。Wǒ yě juéde tā xué de hěn kuài.I also think he learns very quickly.
- 俊杰 Junjie俊杰：没错，他是班上的第一名。Méicuò, tā shì bānshàng de dìyī míng.That's right, he is the top student in class.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
