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。

3 _# O, w% Z5 E$ n- W# cand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
1 : 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
: ~1 }, r& c+ O4 N) v2 : a contemptible person
! I- h$ y  A8 N* k9 q swine fever  
$ r  v3 ]* \0 G" J' i! E1 : HOG CHOLERA
9 I3 Z6 W* W: F( h% P$ M2 : 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
9 L8 o8 I' z; x5 f( i8 _© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

% |- X9 O  n- FThe 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。
0 s8 W3 a' ^1 L( xpig 是常用词, 指“猪”、“小猪”、“猪肉”, 如: roast pig 烤猪肉。
# l& Z$ U& L1 ~2 q# G; H" H' Uhog 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!
  U+ p% k+ k+ O1 O& O6 n! |
2 R6 [* R3 O1 D7 L- n（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
  E: W9 g) F1 I& L2 g2 zWith 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  ...

' P) x  S$ L7 q, I: ~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  

$ ]) j* ]$ o6 z) zto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

! G& t4 o& y8 a& t  ]to cast pearls before swine

caviar to the general

to preach to deaf ears
7 d' m. n) K8 V4 f- d9 R. b
to talk over sb's head
# z3 K1 E! @0 ^7 C5 U% Q     
! N1 [1 D6 u5 z' c
The whistle jigs to a milestone.

' w1 z+ I2 E0 I& m& bWith 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。
* h  c' q+ y1 \9 ]
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。
; i( v' l; E5 t  Y+ T: g- c% h
1 L' d( H) D- sAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
* c# o/ c0 M" M5 {; y对牛弹琴

+ ?# ^) Q$ s! u, Z7 c4 y
playing a harp before a Buffalo

: b: W. h6 C/ B/ B% C4 S  O, kplay the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
7 O1 h8 L  H* V5 N
6 o* B6 |: @7 N$ _2 K& r1 T# h6 n( l9 a
; d( |2 w" u: O+ v5 K( J+ ^/ J" italk to a Brick wall
  l3 k3 C  P5 F, u/ \& a9 t对牛弹琴


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
" g' O) [0 A( D6 p' [6 u# n0 {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.

9 h; f; D" n7 ^+ J9 ^- c" I
" M  Q* ^; Y' X$ D8 I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。
) F5 R$ B% N( C$ E2 ~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。
# F9 \6 C9 t/ k' ^' \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