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。
( q, K1 ^- l7 k5 N. u
( u) X- N4 h( R9 S) J4 z6 uand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
! i' t1 ~* v7 y. }; A1 f1 : 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
) C+ x3 u0 H9 e" g3 Z9 [4 N$ E. E3 o2 : a contemptible person
0 A% d7 F% p  f" ^ swine fever  
& I+ J8 o2 B8 P! u6 O1 : HOG CHOLERA
3 n2 H5 ?- C( T' D) c3 x8 I2 : 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
' [1 H6 w7 ^- |8 [; F1 l5 g' v© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
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) P& `5 |8 Y$ _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。
+ _5 ]& a  c7 |) t! [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。
swine 是文学用语, 指“猪”, 有时借喻“讨厌的人”, 如: You swine! 你这个猪猡!

; N, C0 }2 P9 X（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
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。

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

( K3 h9 @3 H  Q0 d
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  

: K" s, G8 H* N% B1 D  X; sto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

to cast pearls before swine

$ z, p6 q5 P4 n) n8 [- ~, q. ccaviar to the general

1 X0 z- B' d/ u+ a' q7 [to preach to deaf ears
9 V8 P$ i+ ]; A2 }. K' p* _
to talk over sb's head
     
* z) P2 @* Q) ]: Y; ]1 w) L
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。
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' C: T; b; o3 r. lShe read them Shakespeare, but it was casting pearls before swine.
+ X$ }3 n, m# O( {( t" _! v1 L  b她为他们朗诵莎士比亚著作，但那等于对牛弹琴。

5 V, k) `  y# n* K. tAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
1 ^* x8 ]+ m! M6 ?7 z- n" V3 s对牛弹琴


playing a harp before a Buffalo
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play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
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talk to a Brick wall
4 d- T2 F  W+ t1 q4 f2 |对牛弹琴
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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.
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, w  W$ ]0 h* a[ 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.

6 c+ v3 D4 G9 s3 Y; I& b$ V3 V9 ^
; I# X4 \) h4 o' C0 x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 h7 ^. |7 {0 R2 Q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。
# I) Q  s9 {5 {. |2 p* Z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。
5 \9 P! ]: K  m9 h. 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