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。

- t7 I1 ^. @- ~/ p! qand from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean pig.

billzhao

swine    n.
7 \7 K$ Z3 W: S# n1 : 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
7 _9 K- t- X" K& V. w" [+ a/ r2 : a contemptible person
swine fever  
/ p/ f3 L, g. q, l/ o1 : HOG CHOLERA
; t& I, ]& ?( [8 ]  y. z# V' l2 : 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/ ~" F1 F( J8 O0 {© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

! Y7 p3 _/ B" D6 n; l6 c3 b: T; G' _7 FThe 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 j4 R) ]# S2 L. _# cpig 是常用词, 指“猪”、“小猪”、“猪肉”, 如: roast pig 烤猪肉。
$ s/ {+ U8 Z' I6 ~. L2 ]1 X' U; Mhog 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!

  d4 x( q7 \6 I; 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
- M1 g% _& E$ o2 J5 v" `: z* 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。
9 G2 S. C7 J, @+ z1 ?! ~! s8 O
and from the above sentence, it even doesn't mean  ...

: N( F' @/ n  B+ G% H# E
* V* W. T7 o) l8 R! g9 |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  

! Q. C* D; _% qto play the lute to a cow ：  offering a treat to a unappreciative audience
6 D7 ]) \+ y! y* y
to cast pearls before swine
4 ?: S( n) w' y: Z; v
" ?( p8 A* j" L/ ]  F+ _4 Ecaviar to the general
5 ~7 J, p& t' h, l
to preach to deaf ears

, u- B) R  t- k( `& qto talk over sb's head
     
# A. R9 P& R# ^6 d3 r
The whistle jigs to a milestone.
+ C0 B; ^2 J: c, B
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。

3 J$ B0 D) _; F4 S2 qShe 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。
3 K$ q+ q4 L: n8 E% f' c/ W5 X( n7 I
6 A$ B8 A( z( Y: JAn nod is as good as a wink to a Blind horse
# [& J! ?: A% a* _. X对牛弹琴

5 G, m" Y+ X" {- R
playing a harp before a Buffalo

2 P: L. o- g# v1 q3 @6 i5 Gplay the lute to a cow; preach to deaf ears
! q& q. ]$ a& M3 ]" h* N# {5 {. r: Q2 q

5 F& f- K5 W; |3 vtalk to a Brick wall
% F* n+ h4 q1 i1 _/ X9 [) g$ u对牛弹琴
- x" Z* z- r6 t; L# ]* N

& x  V' q; p9 ~3 I& zTheir hints about his behaviour were water off a duck's back.
" N" I  y5 R5 o$ L他们示意他举止不当, 如同对牛弹琴.
  `/ Z+ \! o$ O
* A0 H. c: R# i6 t, Z2 }[ 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
: K. Z+ m& T+ j) d1 p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.

" X8 k5 y3 H4 ^6 {: g1 A1 \% t+ F
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。
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