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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8 W7 m( K2 C8 ]/ X' Sand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
: d3 P+ P7 Q, R$ R/ H2 e$ I1 : 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
- \* n/ w5 p. O* Q; L/ j swine fever  
5 @4 J, ?, c4 l! p2 `( ~1 : HOG CHOLERA
7 k( e2 Q3 _* ]- I/ p2 : 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
© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

6 O' k) l2 M2 A& m% m9 D& J! ZThe 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。
1 Q3 ^) B5 {& g" [; D3 h: `8 jhog 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。
) ?4 ]* N- L4 q# o" eswine 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
* n: s/ @5 \8 c% vWith 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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and from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

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  

to play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

( R0 _+ d) ]" [+ H* Yto cast pearls before swine
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2 ]7 v+ X0 u2 Wcaviar to the general
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to preach to deaf ears
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to talk over sb's head
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The whistle jigs to a milestone.
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With this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine.
4 S7 G1 H2 Z0 ]* u: r面对这个客商，他感到好像是在对牛弹琴。
0 b5 q- ~4 i  B; ]
  D. s% x* Q3 M3 u/ [6 D% s/ l; X" TShe read them Shakespeare, but it was casting pearls before swine.
% [9 W' I' \5 j# I" \  l2 p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
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# L: b3 `( V* w. f) l0 c7 n2 z8 o playing a harp before a Buffalo
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play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
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5 P# W$ x7 [. Etalk to a Brick wall
2 j3 b: o0 b  n+ _7 B( s对牛弹琴
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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.
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[ 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
' P) g, `2 r. [- b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.

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
# W" c6 E( _9 P& ?+ b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。
2 @% Y& d7 g/ v2 e, W' ^: E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