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。

% Q/ j) {* p! {# k5 K: fand 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
4 C* D6 q& Y5 m1 N: A1 Z swine fever  
) C" @3 D& Y# S1 : HOG CHOLERA
, r) L: n8 k! q: w6 P. f: E2 : 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 l- G/ F0 {! _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。
2 q  h' A, f  b" {' b( |) }( G. G/ s/ spig 是常用词, 指“猪”、“小猪”、“猪肉”, 如: roast pig 烤猪肉。
( T2 o6 F  Z& b: c6 T+ u( `1 ihog 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!
' H9 i: r+ q$ \* ^$ A
（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
) [' b9 Y6 y( `9 lWith 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。

0 o, \+ z3 D7 f+ ~6 Wand 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  

4 F# \% Z4 Z5 |: L5 s. Fto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

to cast pearls before swine
) r: {( p. C( ?
* Z4 Y6 J( q! t3 r% [+ ?caviar to the general

& ^" r/ z, v: {/ g7 Q/ C$ L4 Uto preach to deaf ears

to talk over sb's head
# y) c+ v/ l. Q, C/ _* i7 C% ?3 g     

The whistle jigs to a milestone.

With this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine.
+ M$ V! Q7 k1 ?; q6 E+ t面对这个客商，他感到好像是在对牛弹琴。
# {/ ^& ~% B3 r2 t% @
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。

% H% @2 o3 @! {5 L) gAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
对牛弹琴

2 _6 ]5 I6 n. @* b: W6 g% `6 O
1 d; k8 E( m4 H5 @ playing a harp before a Buffalo

( c. n& U) X: J( d  X+ |play the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears


talk to a Brick wall
对牛弹琴
+ `7 S- a" M  _' u8 ], F

5 i4 a7 O9 d$ W0 H! PTheir 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.

: l" M0 ]- o5 W- L
) w( w! l  M2 c, c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: S8 c2 z- m: Q) q8 G1 G$ B可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
+ g: n/ q. }. S+ m也有可能外国人不爱学习，学问高的不多。
, B0 b0 z5 O* y/ p9 N. V  Q" p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。
5 K  m6 X' y: V! y9 X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