大智若愚

dà zhì ruò yú

the truly wise may seem foolish

Character by character

大dà
great

智zhì
wisdom

若ruò
like

愚yú
folly

他平时话不多，其实是大智若愚。

He doesn't say much, but he's wiser than he lets on.

Tone: positive (praise).

Real wisdom doesn't show off; it echoes Laozi's 大巧若拙 (great skill looks clumsy).

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