聪明一世，糊涂一时 cōng míng yī shì，hú tú yī shí Clever for a lifetime, foolish for a moment

Explanation

指一向聪明的人，偶尔在某件事上犯糊涂。

Refers to a person who is always clever but occasionally makes mistakes in a certain matter.

Origin Story

话说古代有一位名扬天下的智者，他一生中破解无数难题，辅佐君王，运筹帷幄，名利双收。然而，晚年他却因一时疏忽，将珍藏多年的传家宝遗失，懊悔不已。此事传为佳话，后人便用“聪明一世，糊涂一时”来形容那些平时聪明绝顶，却偶尔在某件事上犯糊涂的人。这位智者一生智慧超群，然而在生活中，他也难免会因为一时的疏忽大意，而犯下错误。这便是人生的常态，再聪明的人，也会有失误的时候。这则故事也提醒我们，无论多么聪明的人，都需保持谨慎，细致地处理每一件事情，切不可因一时疏忽而铸成大错。

huà shuō gǔdài yǒu yī wèi míngyáng tiānxià de zhìzhě, tā yīshēng zhōng jiěpò wúshù nán tí, fǔzuò jūn wáng, yùnchóu wéiwò, mínglì shuāngshōu. rán'ér, wǎnnián tā què yīn yīshí shūhu, jiāng zhēncáng duōnián de chuánjiābǎo yíshī, ào huǐ bù yǐ. cǐshì chuán wèi jiāhuà, hòurén biàn yòng“cōngmíng yīshì, hútu yīshí” lái xíngróng nàxiē píngshí cōngmíng juédǐng, què ǒu'ěr zài mǒu jiàn shì shàng fàn hútu de rén. zhè wèi zhìzhě yīshēng zhìhuì chāoqún, rán'ér zài shēnghuó zhōng, tā yě nánmiǎn huì yīnwèi yīshí de shūhu dà yì, ér fàn xià cuòwù. zhè biàn shì rénshēng de chángtài, zài cōngmíng de rén, yě huì yǒu shīwù de shíhòu. zhè zé gùshì yě tíxǐng wǒmen, wúlùn duōme cōngmíng de rén, dōu xū bǎochí jǐnshèn, xìzhì de chǔlǐ měi yī jiàn shìqíng, qiē kě yīn yīshí shūhu ér zhù chéng dà cuò.

It is said that in ancient times there was a wise man whose name was known throughout the land. He solved countless problems in his life, advised kings, and skillfully plotted strategies, achieving both fame and wealth. However, in his later years, he lost a family heirloom he had treasured for many years due to a moment of carelessness, and greatly regretted it. This incident became a well-known story, and later generations used the phrase “clever for a lifetime, foolish for a moment” to describe those who are usually incredibly clever, but occasionally make mistakes in a certain matter. This wise man was exceptionally intelligent throughout his life; however, even he would occasionally make mistakes due to carelessness. This is the norm of life—even the cleverest people make mistakes. The story reminds us that no matter how intelligent one is, one must remain cautious and handle every matter carefully, so as not to make a major mistake due to a moment of carelessness.

Usage

常用来形容那些平时很聪明的人，偶尔也会犯一些低级的错误。

cháng yòng lái xíngróng nàxiē píngshí hěn cōngmíng de rén, ǒu'ěr yě huì fàn yīxiē dījí de cuòwù

Often used to describe those who are usually very intelligent but occasionally make minor mistakes.

Examples

• 他平时很精明，这次却聪明一世，糊涂一时，犯了个低级错误。

  tā píngshí hěn jīngmíng, zhè cì què cōngmíng yīshì, hútu yīshí, fàn le gè dījí cuòwù.

  He is usually very shrewd, but this time he was clever for a lifetime and foolish for a while, making a low-level mistake.

• 老张一向谨慎，这次却聪明一世，糊涂一时，签了份亏损的合同。

  lǎo zhāng yīxiàng jǐnshèn, zhè cì què cōngmíng yīshì, hútu yīshí, qiān le fèn kuīsǔn de hétóng

  Lao Zhang has always been cautious, but this time he was clever for a lifetime and foolish for a while, signing a loss-making contract.

Related Idioms

• 聪明一世

• 聪明一世，懵懂一时

Opposite Idioms

• 愚蠢一世

• 糊涂到底