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。
1 ~5 V$ r" Y" g1 R4 g+ k7 S; @
and from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
% v/ }- _. V9 Q" ?$ M! o1 : 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
. g* ]4 p" ?5 B/ ~5 C5 U) _2 : a contemptible person
, ^$ E" u$ m; }3 p+ g swine fever  
1 : HOG CHOLERA
5 z7 |6 f( L7 T' O! M2 : 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

9 |% C- ^. u: n/ |: S% PThe 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。
$ F- |; S& j' ]6 v9 h, C! \- 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!
; E7 ^% P1 i7 C% e
7 p) ^& D* C" v5 z) n" t4 S（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
" R% g- I: e* A9 ]: t% 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。

$ ~4 V+ J8 C0 T* q3 X3 P- o# t7 Tand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

% i% P' d# A$ T8 \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 v6 b9 K) Y, b- `8 \* tto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience
7 W7 }  J' ^9 r7 O# Z
- Z; `- w. ?  d) V; U2 L1 nto cast pearls before swine

caviar to the general
9 e. V) v/ E; G1 k* I
& G/ [, {! u. l* T+ q1 Mto preach to deaf ears

) a3 Q+ Y' }; M# |! I2 R4 zto talk over sb's head
     
+ u- y7 f& ^9 |# C* n  d1 t  L
The whistle jigs to a milestone.
5 l+ b3 T! J/ P0 q- t( c
2 n3 R$ x) z8 F9 wWith 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。

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。
$ n" ?! X" `- T/ i9 ]2 \
: _* q# R2 m: LAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
对牛弹琴


playing a harp before a Buffalo
1 O- H% @5 m$ y/ f; Q
play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
% c, @  J8 ~$ |* t5 n1 D9 m! m
% k! U0 d1 B' A
1 @2 U0 s7 N; f- k+ rtalk to a Brick wall
" M7 r( i1 _5 C! f8 Q8 `对牛弹琴


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.
/ T% `- E1 i" a$ h% f$ i3 t) I
3 {  @& i; @' @6 O( T# c[ 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
3 [/ A( E9 z2 t1 u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.

& {& K8 m5 Q7 l. J, _$ n5 y0 r
2 S9 V0 f, G- C* z1 n1 h. e5 g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
0 u3 H+ {- q. x4 `0 ~可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
) z1 U. D* u5 G( u- j! @也有可能外国人不爱学习，学问高的不多。
& P9 l. n! S& S" T  l+ g- V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。
; K% g- A1 ~& ~( e; o+ c. x; S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