A dunce is someone people call slow at learning, or foolish. It is an unkind school-word, a little old-fashioned now, more at home in stories than in a kind classroom. In old pictures a child labelled a dunce sits in the corner in a tall pointed cap, the dunce cap — a public shame, not a joke if you were that child.

A dunce is someone people call slow at learningdunce是人們用來說學得慢的人 or foolish或很笨的人 It is an unkind school-word這是一個不太友善的校園用語 a little old-fashioned now現在有點過時 more at home in stories than in a kind classroom比較常出現在故事裡，而不是溫和的教室裡 In old pictures在老圖畫裡 a child labelled a dunce sits in the corner被貼上dunce標籤的小孩會坐在角落 in a tall pointed cap, the dunce cap戴著高尖帽，也就是dunce cap（笨蛋帽） a public shame這是公開的羞辱 not a joke if you were that child如果你就是那個小孩，一點都不好笑

Though actually, the history is stranger than 'stupid person'. The word comes from John Duns Scotus, a Scottish thinker around 1300, famous in his day for being sharp, not slow. Two hundred years later, people who still followed his way of thinking said no to the new learning of the Renaissance. Others mocked them as Duns men, then dunces: at first, people who would not take in new ideas. Only later did the word slide into a general name for anyone thought thick. So the first dunces were stubborn about old books, not children who could not read.

Though actually不過其實 the history is stranger than 'stupid person'這個字的歷史比「笨蛋」要奇怪得多 The word comes from John Duns Scotus這個字來自John Duns Scotus（鄧斯·斯考特） a Scottish thinker around 1300一位大約1300年的蘇格蘭思想家 famous in his day for being sharp, not slow在當時以聰明著稱，而不是遲鈍 Two hundred years later兩百年後 people who still followed his way of thinking還在追隨他思想的人 said no to the new learning of the Renaissance對文藝復興的新學問說不 Others mocked them as Duns men, then dunces其他人嘲笑他們是Duns men（鄧斯派），後來變成dunces at first, people who would not take in new ideas一開始，是指不肯接受新想法的人 Only later後來 did the word slide into a general name for anyone thought thick這個字才慢慢變成泛指被認為腦筋不靈光的人 So the first dunces were stubborn about old books所以最早的dunces是死守舊書的人 not children who could not read不是不會讀書的小孩

Today, if you call a living person a dunce to their face, it lands as a sting, even when you mean it lightly.

Today今天 if you call a living person a dunce to their face如果你當面叫一個活生生的人dunce even when you mean it lightly就算你只是隨口說說 it lands as a sting聽起來還是會刺人