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。

( u$ g7 n+ K2 ]. rand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
5 u0 V( s* m4 S! X) b- P1 : 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
' {6 ?) L  v' W7 v2 : a contemptible person
* D% ^1 m) a2 |  S swine fever  
* e" P' c+ L* {0 d9 ?3 Q' R1 : 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
+ D& |% @+ v+ q" @3 s© 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。
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。
) p2 E, ]( f7 W/ f  d" p7 o. pswine 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
7 O. B) {+ L3 p3 _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。

and from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

8 b1 o5 g/ w4 v) }) l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 G6 l3 G3 i* Wto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience

to cast pearls before swine
3 v7 [, r6 b( ~' s
caviar to the general

- `, U. S/ k4 ?to preach to deaf ears

to talk over sb's head
9 v( ^- a) G( L8 e' K     

. }! p9 K9 p. _) X+ G8 [7 LThe whistle jigs to a milestone.

5 z0 }  x; @0 }' m1 C. iWith this customer, he felt himself, as it were, casting pearls before swine.
5 e( P* o& r# T' _9 O3 L- Q& a& `  x面对这个客商，他感到好像是在对牛弹琴。

: |! `/ y4 t& e. j! \( {7 kShe read them Shakespeare, but it was casting pearls before swine.
) E) L1 N9 x% r6 \7 W, W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
对牛弹琴


playing a harp before a Buffalo
  m4 J7 a* c4 T! b7 t" g7 e4 S3 {
& G. H& [6 G" N* `" Iplay the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears

% b, [/ |  a8 s+ v
talk to a Brick wall
& m7 q6 H) r) z3 I, w, y对牛弹琴
1 y" F. M  q& y2 X, @3 j0 a, I: E
, L, I$ Q# d: L2 ?) ?& k, N( t
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.
9 R+ ~6 |2 U$ E# \
[ 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
8 H, ]7 M% {, Y! n. B% c- ?- ]( S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.

+ \+ I) x$ v, i, L/ b5 A( V  H
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。
7 z9 P8 o" }  ^! s) `也有可能外国人不爱学习，学问高的不多。
; b9 s, S2 j6 u; U/ H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。
4 L9 q1 b- W& [% Y9 Q9 z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