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。

  e! X; G. Y0 D1 |. z5 @0 Pand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
; f# i: v  w$ W1 : 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
- G3 z, E( `6 @9 S5 \2 : a contemptible person
swine fever  
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
$ M3 i& }' b9 h# P/ l© 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。
, Y2 E9 v; R) C0 h$ epig 是常用词, 指“猪”、“小猪”、“猪肉”, 如: roast pig 烤猪肉。
* o7 Y5 A1 Z) c& w" E% l& _- {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!

（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
* W6 p: y, i' b9 E: kWith 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  ...

. ^0 I2 H  z/ g& Q8 B5 {1 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  

3 O  F& h  A! I* J2 m( w% p% xto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience
, c. g+ e$ W( s7 B3 B: R
  _& F1 y. c' h% R4 N& q) _& Sto cast pearls before swine
! E: Y4 d7 O$ u! @( L
caviar to the general
- [7 L1 k! T- q  o
3 L% D) V, ^& Q1 S" rto preach to deaf ears

' S" L2 Z2 ^8 H! x+ s4 ~, @3 Bto talk over sb's head
     

The whistle jigs to a milestone.

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。

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。

5 e7 Q/ z9 {6 z6 V0 ]An nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
对牛弹琴

& q* w% m8 z4 n, C) I
% g+ R+ f& J3 U7 b9 s, Y playing a harp before a Buffalo

4 i3 U$ @/ Y/ M) T6 O8 _play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
3 e/ l6 L8 A! G/ M  s' X. P$ d
7 B7 e& t4 B" ^1 p8 V: x% Z2 A
+ H: B% M" f3 X# N- a' Ptalk to a Brick wall
! t! R$ S" X/ G. \( @/ O+ p# o) I  M对牛弹琴
3 s' O, N1 q: m. }  n6 _! C9 N' H$ U

Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
" m9 W) u' J" n& J1 A: t5 o" H6 H他们示意他举止不当, 如同对牛弹琴.

% N, k5 T4 `  ^- r  K4 u! D* y[ 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
% \2 O4 q* N5 U7 ]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.

$ B2 K( |3 M: G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
$ d/ N$ m# s8 i7 W" H: {3 p4 A可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
: Q; W, G2 E4 h: _* n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。
. W6 R; V. [' H4 m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