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。
5 A0 I4 j6 y$ i( @" m
. ~- p5 c* J$ Q6 _3 Y% b% `and from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
8 _+ M& Z! k  s. E* `5 R3 L1 : 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
" Y3 f7 V6 p" F  O  E4 O4 U6 X2 : a contemptible person
swine fever  
3 B# P5 Z9 S5 k' u: u- d1 : HOG CHOLERA
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
- N6 K* ~) P9 Q/ o© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

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。
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。
+ J+ l+ m" _+ g6 eswine 是文学用语, 指“猪”, 有时借喻“讨厌的人”, 如: You swine! 你这个猪猡!
6 |! {2 d' [* f1 Z: M
（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
% i! W) _0 X7 UWith 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。

and from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

  S0 H) w0 I' v6 E( I$ g( x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  
* U$ E/ L, M" L: t
3 X  M% v  g2 c' s' W; ito play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

4 ]' a* ]) ^" E7 Oto cast pearls before swine
6 q' E1 a7 c1 k8 p+ f% k
) f( i# g$ b( n# E! L! K- hcaviar to the general
. P* c  A# }% B) u% d
to preach to deaf ears

2 l, Y: m8 ?- ^1 \. N8 wto talk over sb's head
  B% t" J+ X& M! ]; r9 X     
' u  h: I) ]3 x4 `
The whistle jigs to a milestone.
! s/ c! b# O* l' I  v1 _
  C: m2 N/ C/ P+ D# }( V. l; vWith 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。
/ h5 W. l0 G" ^3 w5 W) b9 i
+ A: _. S0 o6 \( g  K& q( GShe read them Shakespeare, but it was casting pearls before swine.
2 M: i0 C% w* U! U- }5 v+ a) K她为他们朗诵莎士比亚著作，但那等于对牛弹琴。

0 L4 W. f2 j$ [4 }+ ^2 w; eAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
; I! _, q7 b# K1 J" C对牛弹琴
# `! }8 v- N1 _9 X2 t$ N) E1 Y
/ _$ ^! w  E" i3 Z' W
playing a harp before a Buffalo
; O& a6 }0 G1 i; ?( `
; h$ {& J0 R& H/ D5 X9 N; {1 q( ^play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
8 [; k* p5 n( C0 w- d
, u! p" ]& C! v  T
0 z% X; g0 J9 d& U4 vtalk to a Brick wall
( E& [, p; {' i/ x* q9 W) j对牛弹琴
7 ~; F' \* l; {7 `6 b1 e& D6 i
2 Y1 i0 A% i( p- h! {2 H5 Y. j4 d, m
; {, p2 F, e8 d* p3 g7 gTheir hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
# [/ J4 @+ Z( O7 v* E2 Q3 _他们示意他举止不当, 如同对牛弹琴.
6 \4 o1 M" U9 T9 r7 F
; D: B8 r9 p' [/ S& V4 K* l[ 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
$ [# v; T# [. K  x# T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.

/ r# V8 O' J  h' g8 ^. Y
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
3 G8 ]7 D+ u: l3 E) t可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
1 V6 z6 d5 C  _- g也有可能外国人不爱学习，学问高的不多。
) W4 Z5 F) T$ X3 V% X1 g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