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。
. c( r' K- q" N
and 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
swine fever  
1 : HOG CHOLERA
- X" ^) r! T5 u' }( a7 {. u9 x2 : 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
) a* n" `: G; s0 s, o
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!

" w, k0 E1 Z/ h. t3 F（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
, m2 |7 ^* Z' ^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 }4 {/ }8 p
. Z: H5 w" n4 ~' B$ H2 o" `$ tand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

1 F+ y3 e4 l1 s5 O2 I5 X# a! U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  

, L- T7 Z- z. z" R$ gto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience
4 P/ q& u9 f1 F
to cast pearls before swine

" R0 u& o* [' y& e* d- x' Z% ccaviar to the general

to preach to deaf ears
# k' q4 c; Y& V$ a2 Q7 n
to talk over sb's head
     

# v( _8 L2 ]* G, U1 c- GThe whistle jigs to a milestone.
) e& L( T6 @# W: G2 Y1 x
! p/ d* ^# c. c7 z, I2 r( U) cWith 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。
! M# b" x' i+ o. V( v( }" ]. z" ^
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。
, R/ w  R3 _+ ^6 z
, d" U; s# u" j' ~% TAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
6 {1 T8 T; B! ?9 U- Y8 b7 O4 @对牛弹琴


2 N- z1 f  [1 f' c, Q playing a harp before a Buffalo
& `" X8 A) Z; P2 w0 H
play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
# v4 K8 ~2 h% t0 w$ B

$ D4 e6 v6 y- z- \4 ]& i& c! {# Stalk to a Brick wall
% g7 w, x  E, G) X1 I- Q" W对牛弹琴

7 @! E# k% A% C$ x* e  d
Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
1 R9 s, a2 A0 z( f5 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
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
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。
6 J" i/ K3 z+ G. s/ D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