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。
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$ \1 P( ~8 b# `. qand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
, n: a% s( Y0 k; |+ I6 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
' z' K- \7 ?5 f2 : a contemptible person
1 m% v5 R2 J3 |4 s$ U; @0 i swine fever  
1 : HOG CHOLERA
2 f6 j+ ^  [# J; D2 Z; h/ i; L2 : 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
5 k+ T0 ?5 h0 q# c* F© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
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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。
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。
5 |. F7 l: x! V8 H. |! t1 U7 Dswine 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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（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
& F* N. l' K0 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。

0 i; T" ^3 F. P+ Uand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

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) Z5 ]! r7 L  d, @$ ]  u: r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  

7 R) G. Q% q0 dto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

( v. p2 ^7 B- B4 P2 A6 uto cast pearls before swine

: ^. z0 ^8 G: T2 T4 w$ U, A% ncaviar to the general

( y: e% X* c- S, c- Yto preach to deaf ears

to talk over sb's head
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" @( y, R* h% m8 I9 F& y. N( HThe whistle jigs to a milestone.

+ i7 ]7 G+ o2 b( `- f$ z  SWith 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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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
1 j; o) v, a* y3 I& u8 N2 I9 Q对牛弹琴

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' }* n: A$ y- e+ d, C2 f 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
3 Z( T4 ^) o6 `# G  P对牛弹琴
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' n6 K- f0 S& \, \9 U  L* _6 h: oTheir 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.

# ]  Z7 y1 N$ ~3 J[ 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
1 X' B2 I3 \% M8 s+ ?1 C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.

0 h4 Z6 J; ?1 ~* R% T2 m  n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
, y6 \0 Y. t9 ]7 \可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
6 v, O+ e5 x0 Z( @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。
) H' |0 H9 T+ ?. b, [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