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。
. ^. b! r9 j4 y
and from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
5 \' w; D. n/ o7 E2 K! V  n2 B2 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
( |4 z/ I) f% b- Z! @# {. ~, M" H6 p( b swine fever  
  b% E0 `- @% O1 O1 : HOG CHOLERA
# O8 ]5 q2 ?2 x0 D) s  `2 : 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
© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
7 Z4 M" ~) v2 U% D$ ]! n
The 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。
! {# w* i6 ]3 Y, i' h. ]2 `5 d# Ipig 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。
1 n/ W7 X! w1 c* _swine 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
8 `4 a% s9 U( hWith 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。
2 I. q' S8 R5 O. M: s) x
6 [1 W) l% [) ], v+ O4 O& H+ l6 \/ Aand 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  

3 x: \# Z3 P  h) r( P* ^to play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

to cast pearls before swine

caviar to the general

3 q) |+ o. G3 y9 r# Y. xto preach to deaf ears
4 S+ a; X/ c5 w3 c7 r
to talk over sb's head
     

' W1 U, y9 C5 ?& C6 r' W, VThe whistle jigs to a milestone.

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。

. p, ^. I4 q* O4 eShe read them Shakespeare, but it was casting pearls before swine.
她为他们朗诵莎士比亚著作，但那等于对牛弹琴。
  e! d/ Q/ b3 C1 I
An nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
/ h) F* [; h- S, E* D6 G- }# B" U对牛弹琴
3 b" }0 d$ y0 t0 P! U% Z2 q

playing a harp before a Buffalo

3 g" {4 E9 `* p# {8 k  E0 l. `/ Tplay the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears


( b: f# Y: I; [talk to a Brick wall
- K  H% g$ h, R对牛弹琴
* L8 x; A1 R# @6 c5 y; `' J8 |7 g
9 ]* X5 q8 \: B3 |+ X% i& c
Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
* w* k" |( t# ^0 i+ i他们示意他举止不当, 如同对牛弹琴.

( n8 Y) q. [0 ?3 I8 d3 j[ 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
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.

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
7 |9 m% Z  O0 ~. S& D5 c% r  @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