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。

; @$ R/ e2 z# l: Mand 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
2 : a contemptible person
. \) r- e: c4 N+ h0 F swine fever  
; a# k/ s; r: }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
" R. }3 _2 @0 w) t3 E: D4 K- c6 k2 d0 F© 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。
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。
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/ x& S7 Z7 c
（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
  O/ z6 y3 F) yWith 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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2 y" P! T" K0 f" l% sand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

# Y" w9 @7 p% d4 C
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  

5 Z1 h/ I6 s7 T: U: q3 a: ato play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

. ^: B) K" O2 e. J$ {% z9 ito cast pearls before swine

, A& P" e/ U  _4 l$ d1 scaviar to the general

to preach to deaf ears
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( _; y- `& l; v4 d) x2 \to talk over sb's head
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The whistle jigs to a milestone.
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* [3 B' D1 g, ?With this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine.
: [6 F& v  s$ L5 g6 Q# V' M3 m面对这个客商，他感到好像是在对牛弹琴。
& C- z0 L# J0 ?3 ]' t+ u/ B
0 P& Z/ ~7 G" v* Z- v  _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
对牛弹琴


playing a harp before a Buffalo
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5 F( f$ O) M8 a  l) e9 Oplay 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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Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
# R6 E5 C1 W! I) g" e  _! N/ W! X/ h- ^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
- }' _% Y4 @; y8 s$ I" O9 j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.

: ~% t$ i* n" L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
" l% }5 ^* F1 o可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
: \' Z  Y- t1 @/ q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。
8 @# S( C! u% |! ]1 P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