玩小聪明

Traditional (Taiwan): 玩小聰明

wánxiǎocōngming ㄨㄢˊ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄘㄨㄥ ˙ㄇㄧㄥ

    • to use petty cleverness instead of real effort or wisdom

Character by character

Saying俗语俗語

Idiom惯用语 · In everyday use

Literally
play at small cleverness
Meaning
To use petty cleverness and tricks instead of real effort or wisdom. Mildly critical.

Sources