craftiness; cunning; wily intelligence
Rare, literary noun for cunning or crafty intelligence, often with a negative connotation. Not used in everyday speech; encountered mainly in classical or formal texts.
The old man said that no one could match his craftiness.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 佞 (flattery, insincerity) and 智 (wisdom, intelligence) combine to suggest a cunning or crafty intelligence.