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。
' U9 i& Q* X/ l" D
% N) A. t, I' o) \' @, Xand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
' R# L1 c3 \1 X0 e5 `" ^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
! ~, {  M: i9 j% C* Z- P; m2 : 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
$ q2 j9 C6 _& p( |0 d© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
: k9 l! T/ P8 O: A
* R2 F3 a+ y' f2 e' Z) gThe 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。
) o0 r1 L) u0 A% Ypig 是常用词, 指“猪”、“小猪”、“猪肉”, 如: roast pig 烤猪肉。
" E, G/ J: y  p9 U, L  q: U2 u' Bhog 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。
& g' t1 H, V* U; f* 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
, V8 U$ G/ d( MWith 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  ...

' t6 L9 L% w2 q7 P) C
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  

7 Q& r# T. X8 t. cto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

to cast pearls before swine

caviar to the general
; t# q' f* }# R+ {
to preach to deaf ears

to talk over sb's head
     

& f+ m, K  r$ q  NThe whistle jigs to a milestone.

; L3 r% f/ n& Q  @, \+ k1 ~With this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine.
8 g7 Y$ M* o/ a面对这个客商，他感到好像是在对牛弹琴。

, c5 {+ R! |' r2 Z7 B6 bShe read them Shakespeare, but it was casting pearls before swine.
( c, @0 V* A  }她为他们朗诵莎士比亚著作，但那等于对牛弹琴。
* Q2 _2 ]$ s1 i, r- c  h
An nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
对牛弹琴
$ r+ G  H9 ^* m. F! Q3 L3 ^; m1 L
" E  H/ u! b4 F$ h' U
playing a harp before a Buffalo
8 i  s' q. ]) G- M
play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears

& d0 C8 \# `! S1 I  g
talk to a Brick wall
对牛弹琴

$ E# s  w; o. G5 i7 H
Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
3 a5 W  M% _2 w& [. }4 J他们示意他举止不当, 如同对牛弹琴.
; J. g; `0 b+ Q  E* P5 |; |
[ 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
* K1 O8 `" D; k( [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。
2 b  m+ T1 ?) l* _/ z0 ~* T- ?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