The compound word "小聪明" is formed through the morphological combination of the adjective "小" (xiǎo), meaning "small" or "petty," with the adjective "聪明" (cōngmíng), meaning "clever" or "intelligent." This fusion creates a new, idiomatic meaning that is not merely the sum of its parts; it semantically shifts to describe a form of shrewdness or cunning that is short-sighted, used for minor gains or trickery, often implying a lack of true wisdom or major strategic insight. Thus, the "small" modifies the type of "cleverness," resulting in a term that carries a slightly pejorative connotation of being clever in trivial or opportunistic ways.