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。

' E, D, _3 P# ?$ i. jand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
& }5 l: v8 G8 L9 k( M. |8 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
swine fever  
1 : HOG CHOLERA
! \' n: |0 ?% L0 X- X! h- n: a; c2 : 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

* L- J" k4 b. \) bThe 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。
5 W0 s0 w/ @+ apig 是常用词, 指“猪”、“小猪”、“猪肉”, 如: roast pig 烤猪肉。
2 [3 R7 ~: j& @- }0 z* Dhog 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!

% j9 s% N; ]6 y. S. h% J  S2 ?（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
' V! N2 d9 S* t- A" G, u: {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  ...

* b& v" |6 G. n+ w4 {, {' q
) ]" f2 z# N5 l! s' y7 u$ f: K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  
. C% Q! n; j# X3 [
to play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

$ E+ K5 k, l5 S" |8 tto cast pearls before swine

. P5 u# R6 A/ W# p3 m- q2 D/ f# Dcaviar to the general
! Q3 Q" e9 ^5 ^
% s( w3 q  M5 u, _7 |2 oto preach to deaf ears

; B7 U; W9 Q( o, `to talk over sb's head
, \4 v% D, C; t9 S" Z9 F, v% j; s     

3 T* g7 }3 e' J! n/ {5 m3 aThe 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。

$ x& F  B- o4 X, }2 QShe 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。
" K' x! }( g! U1 ?; H  K
6 m: s/ _  A: O8 QAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
对牛弹琴
$ `( [1 @0 N6 W7 R8 v
' E8 M, |$ _+ \- M2 k4 d
playing a harp before a Buffalo

play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
% ]1 t  ]1 U1 i1 ], ]4 o
* Z3 P$ N" D' \' K0 S6 F7 G  {! e) e- W
talk to a Brick wall
  L( B# _* \: h, C- l对牛弹琴

6 @. S$ C6 D1 S* ~/ Q& D5 W' g0 H
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.

[ 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
% P; G0 F( R+ ~) q7 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.

8 @# s0 w; G4 {0 [9 p. p, i/ R' g1 A
. I# t. Q. ]8 J6 Y! O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 S. M* Z3 z8 O  x2 g& x1 R# w可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
0 f# F' v* S# Z4 T' c% {* O" N6 [* {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