why it's swine, why not pig?

兰颜知己

With this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine. 面对这个客商，他感到好像是在对牛弹琴。

' C; P' @: m0 H0 Eand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
  f" N: T* p9 V& V8 N6 I1 : any of various stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous artiodactyl mammals (family Suidae) with a thick bristly skin and a long flexible snout especially : a domesticated one descended from the wild boar
2 : a contemptible person
8 K" k8 s/ g/ n2 ?7 U3 j; `5 q swine fever  
% B2 F( J3 r2 j1 : HOG CHOLERA
9 P( c. I9 i% }& W  E" y2 : an acute highly contagious usually fatal disease of swine that is caused by a double-stranded DNA virus (species African swine fever virus of the genus Asfivirus, family Asfarviridae), that resembles but is more severe than hog cholera, and that is indigenous to Africa
/ Q" x* D5 E$ Q3 l& u© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
% W$ b+ W( ]% L) K9 p1 y
* S. e+ K- A4 I: H4 |$ N. aThe reason to use swine may be that it is more formal a word than pig.

兰颜知己

got u, tks a lot.

Xbfeng

Swine Flu but not Pig Flu.

yuanyuan

pig, hog, swine 都含“猪”的意思。
pig 是常用词, 指“猪”、“小猪”、“猪肉”, 如: roast pig 烤猪肉。
hog 指“阉过供食用的公猪”, 尤指“重量超过一百二十磅的阉过的供食用的公猪”, 如: raise hogs 养猪。
; H+ n8 x7 z! m2 V, f- l9 Pswine 是文学用语, 指“猪”, 有时借喻“讨厌的人”, 如: You swine! 你这个猪猡!

（转自金山词霸）

rainbowfish

Great! Thank you !

金币

原帖由 兰颜知己 于 2009-4-29 12:56 发表
: c: {6 j& K/ y% g8 P; Y1 k( gWith this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine. 面对这个客商，他感到好像是在对牛弹琴。

7 G0 b$ |" X0 e! \! Y3 B+ pand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

顺带说一句啊，要想说对牛谈琴的意思不要用这个casting pearls before swine，至少我知在加拿大他们一般不这么说。有时候这些词典真是害人。

billzhao

估计casting pearls before swine是个比较书面话的成语吧，大家都认识，但说话一般不那么说，否则被人说使用 big words.

billzhao

对牛弹琴  
0 o* D4 z+ J* Z: y. T- ^% [
to play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

0 x# f! y" A+ F/ k" e0 Fto cast pearls before swine
7 k) \1 [+ W5 p  x! G
  W! G1 v' L4 K* U# ?caviar to the general
5 p- c8 w4 f4 @3 ^- I1 m1 ~" q
* V6 S# r, f& Q( a* Eto preach to deaf ears
8 v' ]- l' J% k* r. A& I
to talk over sb's head
9 @. H' I' j# S) }7 O     
/ k0 W: Q0 }$ F$ M9 L
The whistle jigs to a milestone.

With this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine.
6 D) e3 ^9 e9 @2 v) a) t6 U) Q* _面对这个客商，他感到好像是在对牛弹琴。
' _3 O4 O" {' C$ |
She read them Shakespeare, but it was casting pearls before swine.
% b% B' D6 _8 ~# X0 B% C她为他们朗诵莎士比亚著作，但那等于对牛弹琴。
/ v7 _( }' P0 E1 w
: S0 Y! p7 f; jAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
对牛弹琴


9 z8 P- L5 I; f  C" I) f- f playing a harp before a Buffalo
5 K$ _' G: Z. i9 Z
play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears


talk to a Brick wall
对牛弹琴
6 `( ~6 f) p; y, p$ a

Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
他们示意他举止不当, 如同对牛弹琴.

[ 本帖最后由 billzhao 于 2009-4-30 10:49 编辑 ]

金币

原帖由 billzhao 于 2009-4-30 11:41 发表
" C6 G7 l& I$ Y) Y; K5 A: R" I估计casting pearls before swine是个比较书面话的成语吧，大家都认识，但说话一般不那么说，否则被人说使用 big words.

0 f0 D3 U: c. o6 `我找了个老外确认了一下，他们好像完全不知有这个说法。

billzhao

可能
$ H1 J9 S& R* F可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
也有可能外国人不爱学习，学问高的不多。
还有可能是人们的知识水平参差不齐，你问的那几个人在正态分布的尾端。
不管怎么说，既然字典上有了，就是有这种说法，而且是相当的人知道这种说法，否则就不会遍到字典上去了