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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& }/ a9 [# v. c/ X0 @" band from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
9 ]+ Z8 R: L/ X; 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
2 : a contemptible person
swine fever  
+ C, O4 T. b" X! e/ |; K* G1 : 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
* j/ `7 t2 U9 O© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

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。
0 J# P$ N# `" U+ Z8 P# X9 ihog 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!
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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
* {4 v# c% y' {2 }9 w) J1 aWith 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  ...

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9 q: n0 X0 B3 {0 D5 |/ o  ]5 t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  
  }& {2 _* ^( b+ e( L1 a$ C0 Z
% }5 o) ?' v4 S; |0 u9 \to play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

9 r! I( A  c/ @& H& O" H! n$ W, f$ Pto cast pearls before swine
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! k$ p$ n) L. n) g& \8 z2 `: gcaviar to the general

; B) x. G) A- r2 L5 xto preach to deaf ears
! @" F/ B6 d7 E0 |$ t
* c8 o. ?2 ~/ {, nto talk over sb's head
4 p8 S7 w2 J/ X0 I     

. @: d8 e+ Q1 _$ U3 {1 vThe whistle jigs to a milestone.

8 v' ?2 Z, n/ 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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& [# e- k0 Y; M2 I5 Y4 UShe 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。

# v  b3 r9 N/ M, q, M- KAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
+ U+ J- M, _% J对牛弹琴

9 A* k2 S* w: \5 ^- c8 x
playing a harp before a Buffalo
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play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears

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* ~4 x) l# v3 c# V8 l& w7 h$ Utalk to a Brick wall
% ^. i/ m) Z, b8 t对牛弹琴


3 \# g! A( _" D- W  V( m/ \( _* ?& O1 uTheir 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.

$ v4 i" |; Z5 Q; [1 w$ O; x[ 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
$ R/ B/ V: X" H  q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.

$ {- K. m6 E! L, s: ?& V. 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
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。
5 r6 e( U7 R* p- Y0 g; _+ t+ f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