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。

; C5 ?$ I* p  sand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
' T# e4 W' x9 X0 U& b4 {$ f1 : 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
/ y0 M5 k& L  z3 i# i, l2 : a contemptible person
swine fever  
1 : HOG CHOLERA
/ w9 h; K' d3 s( C6 f2 : 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
. r" F  S, @6 ]6 T' @/ @© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
2 C3 O. _, [" V. [! M: L! _
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。
& a( j! ?5 a1 [/ J; E0 |1 x. P( N$ Rhog 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" F. h! _( 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
5 \) x( o5 W: ^, x! k- gWith 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  ...

( [" \. R, q( H- Q2 k8 D
' B; C( ~, M! L% E( k( f0 I. d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 z- G, F( P" |& i! D3 A  N
1 M* R- K9 L( G4 r3 }2 S+ Yto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience
& w/ }, W: A. L) e' K) i
to cast pearls before swine

caviar to the general

* t$ c2 ^$ s0 s: H( d2 J( W( L: {to preach to deaf ears

+ O, V( O$ ?% }+ mto talk over sb's head
     
- }9 g/ b) A1 }  a8 O
% e, Q: M1 ?! ?The whistle jigs to a milestone.
; ?1 S, U+ \- l/ o* l$ T# A
With this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine.
& }* H* [8 G) m' e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.
7 d$ e: k- E/ b) v0 T她为他们朗诵莎士比亚著作，但那等于对牛弹琴。

5 {: ~3 f- S- }) LAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
对牛弹琴


& x0 v+ |4 X0 k! G: ]4 W8 S playing a harp before a Buffalo
; v9 ~- Z* G8 z
- Y* [  e8 l1 ], y% c1 K, Uplay the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
1 k- e( O( K+ B4 t9 A! l  q
$ ~- ~* b; u# d6 U" \
talk to a Brick wall
对牛弹琴
2 `4 L8 d9 B1 k, z! R5 W5 [* B/ ^

+ {& l) r5 _# [Their hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
# R1 M9 }4 k" w; R" [他们示意他举止不当, 如同对牛弹琴.
4 F9 H% u1 w( a* X1 R- _
[ 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
) I) B7 K( @/ H% ]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.

3 f$ N: q1 L  \+ e  q% L, Q) ~
' X# |( C" W/ M' y" A: f# 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
可能这种说法太书面语了，也可能out of date了。
2 ]* ~0 N9 ^2 r1 V2 Z也有可能外国人不爱学习，学问高的不多。
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