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。

) H. j3 z& x% Q' Cand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
+ N& Z; G3 q2 Z4 ~- A1 : 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  
: _! ]+ x- K; x/ T1 : 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
  `! [$ d6 h* q9 r& e; 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。
$ w' ]1 E8 ~1 k$ T( wpig 是常用词, 指“猪”、“小猪”、“猪肉”, 如: roast pig 烤猪肉。
+ Q& x: H3 A- G  t8 z( O: Ahog 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。
; X" ~  \/ f/ b$ L/ b6 `( Eswine 是文学用语, 指“猪”, 有时借喻“讨厌的人”, 如: You swine! 你这个猪猡!
# G6 P; d1 s! ^$ L9 l0 P2 k3 E
- k3 e9 P3 ~4 e2 X, u! _（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
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 Z' C" Z% P* `/ m; T, w7 g7 mand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

: m  Q% w- K  j, C4 s9 B$ V5 `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  
0 c& U' s8 R% y/ C( k1 t
# H! }  h" z7 Bto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

to cast pearls before swine

' s( T! \/ D: m. h9 R! }caviar to the general

to preach to deaf ears
7 }4 L( w4 o4 U0 U
/ \* F1 F0 e2 Hto talk over sb's head
     

The whistle jigs to a milestone.
1 N/ ]) B+ q2 I; x9 z
$ O+ ]2 y5 `5 g8 d: f. x1 iWith this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine.
/ s& w4 O+ F/ e, Z! n  T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。

An nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
6 W6 r" p; h8 R0 `3 F5 k/ ]- {对牛弹琴

& b) C* e- t  O0 {
playing a harp before a Buffalo

3 H( E. I$ X) E3 ]play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears


1 W3 K; D, c% S: b) atalk to a Brick wall
对牛弹琴

# x; y0 @1 z+ M' Q
1 U6 b9 @/ h8 n( I# h9 n  |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.

[ 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。
3 D$ F; s+ m) }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