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。
4 o, i* w- f5 z" i% P+ b+ i  `
+ T( n8 I% h' G% o$ B- o) {and from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
0 `7 C9 f: c) 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
- T2 q8 N9 m3 b2 X5 K0 ?# X2 : a contemptible person
swine fever  
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

8 C9 l+ p% @2 Q3 R: rThe 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。
/ H. O4 A" N8 S8 z# l6 \$ l+ H& rpig 是常用词, 指“猪”、“小猪”、“猪肉”, 如: roast pig 烤猪肉。
. A- u4 C1 P; t7 y! W# S$ A+ |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。
( C# v) R0 ~1 Xswine 是文学用语, 指“猪”, 有时借喻“讨厌的人”, 如: You swine! 你这个猪猡!

0 A- T# e$ H, C1 \1 t+ A（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
( ^% m$ L8 F) U5 ~8 R3 g- eWith 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。

7 l/ O$ n/ ~8 c3 \8 [3 _2 Qand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

' f4 M2 z( o, _- O1 d8 B6 n/ L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  
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to play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

to cast pearls before swine
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caviar to the general

to preach to deaf ears
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to talk over sb's head
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The whistle jigs to a milestone.
9 l9 F' w5 l9 }
With this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine.
& {3 P1 |3 j  o) S4 [面对这个客商，他感到好像是在对牛弹琴。
7 X; A2 f2 t( f+ M
% X$ y. y  k+ A/ e1 A1 gShe 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。
  [6 V: k/ c+ p+ U4 f+ s6 V+ k+ x  m
An nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
对牛弹琴

8 T; _) A: ^* Z5 D; R$ _4 k
+ L8 g8 ?- \& o5 G. a playing a harp before a Buffalo

play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
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talk to a Brick wall
对牛弹琴
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' |4 s% M( _- D
Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
) e' S2 J1 X  B( Q3 q0 R3 S他们示意他举止不当, 如同对牛弹琴.

* v4 i1 A; d) Q[ 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.

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
2 s) Q) \4 s* o! q. ]% r# |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。
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。
/ G5 X: q7 r/ q: M6 g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