A pedant is someone who pays too much attention to rules and to small, unimportant details — especially someone who points out other people’s tiny mistakes in a way that wears everyone down. They may be right about the little thing and still miss the big thing.

A pedant學究 is someone指的是那種人 who pays too much attention太在意 to rules and to small, unimportant details規矩和小到不重要的細節 — especially尤其是 someone那種人 who points out會指出 other people's tiny mistakes別人的小錯 in a way that wears everyone down指到讓大家都累了。They他們 may be right可能是對的 about the little thing在小事情上 and卻 still還是 miss漏看了 the big thing大事情。

Though actually, people use it loosely: sometimes they just mean “this person likes being correct”, which is not always unkind; the full, sharp meaning is “they use little facts to make you feel small”.

Though actually不過其實, people大家 use it loosely用得很鬆散: sometimes有時候 they just mean他們只是想說 "this person likes being correct"「這個人喜歡把事情做對」, which is not always unkind這不一定是刻薄的意思; the full, sharp meaning完整而尖銳的意思 is "they use little facts to make you feel small"「他們拿小事實來讓你顯得渺小」。

It is a criticising word. You would not call a friend a pedant unless you were joking, or a bit angry.

It它 is a criticising word是個帶批評意味的字。You你 would not call不會叫 a friend朋友 a pedant學究 unless除非 you were joking你在開玩笑, or a bit angry或是有點生氣。

Today we usually keep pedant for the person and use pedantic for the adjective.

Today現在 we我們 usually通常 keep pedant留給 for the person指人用, and用 use pedantic pedantic當形容詞 for the adjective。

It came from Italian pedante, “a teacher / schoolmaster”, and later picked up the unkind sense. People have long linked it in their heads with pedagogue; the two were associated, but they do not come from the same Italian word.

It它 came from來自 Italian pedante義大利文pedante, "a teacher / schoolmaster"意思是「老師／學校教師」, and而 later後來才 picked up染上 the unkind sense不好的意思。People大家 have long linked長久以來一直聯想 it它 in their heads在一起 with pedagogue跟pedagogue教育家; the two這兩個字 were associated確實有關聯, but但 they它們 do not come from並不是來自 the same Italian word同一個義大利字。