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。

6 o3 b- K. O" W" B: Y- Kand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
" M3 t* i8 t7 @& i& F. F% X1 : 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  
1 : HOG CHOLERA
' `8 x6 a" I8 e0 a$ m% a2 : 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
+ U7 n3 n, p- q; Q! J) z; q8 }© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
- [. g! ]& G" s9 N
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!
4 c3 J' d! y! R, h1 C9 ]' D3 E6 m
6 r) h# y4 l9 d# J$ ^* e6 `+ 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
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。
, t9 Y' D0 B' |7 m% K2 r( i& ?
and from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

- h7 ^/ F: w# s- H7 `
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 m% n( m2 m; s! m- i' `to play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience
7 u/ t! Q/ m3 f& n
to cast pearls before swine

caviar to the general
: g1 y: n9 ~0 {
" Z2 ^2 K0 ~6 X8 N  R8 Z* zto preach to deaf ears

& ?6 w. n& f1 f1 F5 ]to talk over sb's head
     
: V& j) `6 a# T: n/ w% B8 {
The whistle jigs to a milestone.
7 C, P  l1 `- L; Y" \1 U' L
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。
. ]" h0 w- C/ V0 \- T' e$ a
She read them Shakespeare, but it was casting pearls before swine.
1 J4 d  o- w! _1 t7 z她为他们朗诵莎士比亚著作，但那等于对牛弹琴。
" U' T" F: Y1 r8 a0 S
# ]$ ^" y6 I' k0 x% @5 P; x" eAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
对牛弹琴
$ x/ @" O- T2 I) _5 S7 t$ k

playing a harp before a Buffalo
2 w% A& g, g6 j9 f- O3 o
play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
; c* ]5 Q# q% m9 J
- m! O* m6 |( Q$ h9 e( D6 `6 e
talk to a Brick wall
对牛弹琴
! ?1 J( h* e3 R
. ]$ }8 V% T- t
Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
' Z& }; h! Q2 m+ v1 z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
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.

: B) N# |2 F# w9 T- N8 m6 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
% C  {8 i% l. R4 M  ]8 w0 b; ]可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
' c& Z! @  g; ]0 V3 I- V1 e2 h3 Q/ M也有可能外国人不爱学习，学问高的不多。
3 B; w+ F# N) @+ |8 d  g  O, X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。
' R7 p& g7 _% }4 [( {- d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