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。
5 \; g6 W1 [5 O
, e+ ^2 K7 M( a' Y  C3 k4 rand 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 R3 q6 P/ ~2 W- ~$ `. v9 {% c2 : a contemptible person
$ b. r, ^7 i: y, D" ?) P" U" [ swine fever  
3 H) v1 p9 }: |$ `1 : HOG CHOLERA
4 V* g7 N$ x/ C* g2 : 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
3 }% R. H0 {1 J3 I© 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。
  D! l+ l1 I6 |  `% B  ^0 Dpig 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。
) D1 N* i* Q% w7 O8 Zswine 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
9 E) @  W& e3 `& _- @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。
1 ?4 n% r+ A  N8 w
; J5 R8 h3 V( B) kand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

8 N# k* x" r4 \8 q6 @' ?9 F- e' P) E
3 w" }3 a. i) [9 e2 t* g* S- V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

0 [$ E% w- x( w! c  gto cast pearls before swine

caviar to the general
" j; h# _9 K; Y6 R+ ^6 t' |% ?+ \
to preach to deaf ears
% P' h& Y/ o7 O' p
" W* e% `9 n: x  M: A5 t( D$ }6 x: oto talk over sb's head
) n+ M- D7 c4 X; U     

! _, D9 }# p) zThe whistle jigs to a milestone.

+ X! N# W: ?; L  U9 |% [With this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine.
2 o) s4 @% X( C面对这个客商，他感到好像是在对牛弹琴。

) d2 z" i$ q/ [6 [: E8 g# d& X% Q# _She read them Shakespeare, but it was casting pearls before swine.
. E: o# k2 [* X; y她为他们朗诵莎士比亚著作，但那等于对牛弹琴。

. `7 }* T% U" X4 G( @) n6 ~An nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
8 b, b7 j( R! O7 x0 t" j对牛弹琴
8 G$ x- J8 d2 W8 H
% U' ~5 t$ @' x
2 b+ o! W5 |6 H- l; }3 h playing a harp before a Buffalo
9 d  T5 }2 \5 {# b* E
play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears


1 n5 B6 Z# A0 _' D1 }8 B$ jtalk to a Brick wall
' W, N7 s0 t9 u对牛弹琴
" q. a/ r) K4 G6 |9 \$ E6 k

Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
0 f* |: }  j" l# q8 N' f他们示意他举止不当, 如同对牛弹琴.
0 U$ [/ V% _+ Z+ X
! r: D5 J( b5 w* Q5 U9 Y2 t$ ?7 x[ 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.

7 b9 i! H7 r3 Q! t# q( O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
4 S( w/ x% j. U" b, |; m7 u! h可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
! L* S8 R7 T1 l+ ~3 E也有可能外国人不爱学习，学问高的不多。
( g- O$ E5 P% P2 X4 j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