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。

: X1 R9 o0 S( J. c8 {and from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
1 : 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
+ j; P! L* |& E7 A3 ^; W2 : a contemptible person
swine fever  
1 O. E6 s! R) |  w( x9 x+ \; [1 : 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
© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

+ ?- l9 W# [8 l8 mThe 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。
2 V8 Z' G" ?) t8 @6 Whog 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。
swine 是文学用语, 指“猪”, 有时借喻“讨厌的人”, 如: You swine! 你这个猪猡!
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! A7 o! Y  x" D! B（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
* d6 ~, l* }5 h: G$ BWith 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' u7 p! M; _% \, M7 y
and 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  

to play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience
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" I3 Y: O6 G2 ~. _8 B7 Ato cast pearls before swine

5 N' h" {0 @* ]: G2 S( Ncaviar to the general
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to preach to deaf ears

# {8 P* w# P, a7 M7 M, W  j+ Eto talk over sb's head
     
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The 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。
2 B+ e9 H+ v, z) A
; E& ]# w% ]# f" |She 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。
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An nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
, w( z* C! `! }& B; z/ c对牛弹琴

4 J& @- Z- R( k  _
playing a harp before a Buffalo
0 ]0 b: x3 Z) M7 v
play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears

( E4 J( G5 e, O5 k
1 a& y5 |6 G9 {- G- Etalk to a Brick wall
7 w" {: }! D/ z6 _# k- q! t3 G对牛弹琴
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3 _& L  n- C+ _9 x: B1 ]
Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
3 x. w8 g. R& k1 f/ C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
& V. a. v5 y, M5 l9 X; G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.

. v- G0 |7 i7 \& l" p6 a
4 S# t  }' ]1 ?8 P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
6 S& c2 ^; _7 z2 y" q可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
+ y1 o+ k1 h8 A) G+ {% H, |( H也有可能外国人不爱学习，学问高的不多。
( q1 h; \: o3 G! j' `* j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。
/ A7 |* F9 D7 I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