Dear Learners .
If you know any synonymous sayings like Cast Pearls Before Swine , please let me know. ( Even it is in your mother tongue )
Cast pearls before swine.
To offer something valuable to someone who does not understand that it is valuable. e.g - Giving him advice is just casting pearls before swine. He doesn’t listen. <
kind regards.
kyaw
Like–your patterns in English language!
Recent and Modern students even don’t know sentences are not just going whimsically-
The fact that it has certain patterns. If they learn it first their anxiety will be come down half in English grammar!(Verbs 69 +nouns 4+ adjectives 3=76). The fact that+ clause =one pattern in noun!
Dhaka’s one of the most popular English learning co.'s helmsmen whom I met with him in a seminar, I implied him about popular 76 patterns that Britain’s almost all educated persons used to use them. He retold me, students can’t get rid of these patterns at this age! I just laugh him seeing the guile mentality!
Beating about the bush.
Cast pearls before swine - someone unworthy of gifts to offer some great gifts. To give something valuable to someone who is not able to appreciate it.
Our Polish very famous author Kornel Makiszyński had used that quote to create a title of his book “Pearls and swine”.
A novel about bohemian life.
Alicja
Yes, Alicja!
Someone either keeps just intentionally or other people have just by sheer ignorance.
Of course, the first one is guilty mind-that is the problem in all society or the country.
Dear Minhajquazi! Thank you. I like when somebody agree with me. It happens rarely because I’m rather controversial person. Or better to say I like to call out a discussion about some topics.
I send you my greetings. Alicja
Hello Mr.Kyaw,
As this saying is from the Bible in Hungarian we say also „ cast pearls before the swine” .What means that you give you friendship to unmerited people who abuse your words, misinterpret them and finally take them against you. They don’t understand your goodwill. Do you know surely that it is from the Bible.
Matthew 7:6: „Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. "
If I am suffering that I had given my high esteem to a person who caused me after suffering I try to console myself:
“Do not expect good in return for a good deed.”- Hungarian proverb.
Regards: Kati Svaby
P.S:
Similar ones:
French: donner de la confiture aux cochons (fr) “give jam to pigs”
Malay: kera diberi bunga (ms) “to give flowers to a monkey”
Japanese: 猫に小判 (ja) (ねこにこばん, neko-ni koban) “gold coins to cats”
Spanish: dar margaritas a los cerdos (es), echar margaritas a los cerdos (es) (give/throw daisies to pigs), echar perlas a los cerdos (es)
I think another English saying with the same meaning as ‘‘Cast pearls before swine’’ is ‘‘Honey is not (made) for the ass’s mouth’’. I am not sure though.
As Kati explained, since this expression comes from a biblical admonition, it is used in my language as well – in a literal translation.
Another equivalent we have for ‘‘Cast pearls before swine/Don’t throw your pearls before swine’’ is ‘‘Don’t spoil the barley on the geese’’.
Dear Alicja!
You are most welcome.
In addition, greetings everybody who has illuminated the Mr. Lwin’s expressing idea with more accolade ways.
It has really deep rooted meaning, and in Bangla, we say -‘Never put a garland over the neck of a monkey!’ I don’t know whether it has crossed the gentle way.
Hello Christina,
I was happy that you mentioned "Don’t throw your pearls before swine’’ -because in Hungary also it is said in this way also.As the biblical translations are very different but their essence is the same.
But I never heard ‘‘Don’t spoil the barley on the geese’’- it is interesting. Why don’t we spoil the barley on the geese ? Because we have to keep it to the horses? Or what? Can you explain me what it can mean?
Bye:
Kati
Hi Kati,
First I have to say that ‘‘Don’t waste the barley on the geese’’ is probably a better translation of the Romanian expression.
Well, I think they didn’t make the best word choice with this expression. Its meaning is certainly not as obvious as the one of other variations of the same saying, like ‘‘Don’t give jam to the pigs’’, for example.
Apparently, people in my country think that barley is too precious to give it to the geese. I’m no expert, but I think they would mostly let the geese feed on grass, fallen fruit, algae, worms and such and would only give them some corn and stale bread.
So yes, your guess was spot on: when and if they do have some barley, they might keep that for animals considered more important, the way horses are.
Hi Christina,
We spoke about this saying with my husband and he also thought that the root of this saying : Don’t spoil the barleys on the geese.The geese probably were satisfied with cheaper food so the barley could be due to other animals for exp. to horses.
In French it exists " Cast pearls before swine" (jeter des perles aux pourceaux)and “give jam to the pigs” (donne de la confitture aux porcs)
I read somewhere in the Net the barley and the geese several places can be seen together when the people wanted to domesticate the wide geese they gave to them barley.
Bye for now:
Kati
Here’s one that’s a little similar: Never try to teach a pig to sing…it’s just a waste of your time and you’ll only annoy the pig.
Also, maybe distantly related, we say: “That’s like putting lipstick on a pig” which means trying to make something better with superficial changes that won’t really solve the problem.
Hello Lushcen,
Your very interesting proverbs concern about waste of time.
The first saying which became proverb/saying from the bible: Cast pearls before the swine.-that means you give your friendship to unmerited people who don’t esteem it, moreover turn again you.
I enjoyed your proverbs very much. I send you a Hungarian similar one:
It is like peas thrown against the wall . (A vain effort)
Many thanks to you all.
I love to have the company of you, the educated and knowledgeable people, on the ETN forum. For I can enlighten my knowledge through you and can do something more beneficial to the community and society alike, that’s the benefit of our writing here. Thank you very much for your kind support. I love you.
kind regards.
kyaw.
Hi Lwin!
You are most welcome.
We are not all great, but a philosopher and Law maker Mr. Francis Beckon(British)once said, “An educated and thinker makes more opportunities for others than himself.”
We can all try for this and you are definitely one of the good associates of us.
Hello Mr. Kyaw,
You also have your ups and downs. Here the photo when I saw about you for the first time.!!! Believe or not that I thought the person is YOU in this picture. Probably I failed to notice your name ‘Mr.’ So I thought that you are an old woman. Older than me.
Dear Mr. Minhajquazi,
You are a one of the patriotic, knowledgeable and educated persons I found on this site. I hope you can educate and bring up more and more of your fellow citizens.
kind regards.
Kyaw
My dear Lady,
This is the photo of my great great grand father who won an OBE from the British. In his ministrial attire. He should be well over 200 years old if he is still alive. He name is U ( Mr. ) Paw Tun, known to be an Arakanese origin, one of Burma’s main race. He is my role model. I wonder how he became a minister through those pains, hardships and adversities under the British rule as a slave.
Can you imagine a slave to become a minister. That breaks my heart. He might have suffered a lot. Until he had done something beneficial to his motherland and his own people.
kind regards.
You almost receive all diplomatic thinking from your great grand father. I at least get one my answers now, Mr. Lwin!
Bravo man! Do you know Nadir Sha’s(last Mugol) grave is behind you. Hope grand father had to maintain the order only, hadn’t he?
Hello Mr.Kyaw,
I am very sorry that I didn’t notice that there is a man is in the picture. I have to reveal that my eyes are very wrong and the doctor told me to finish using computer. I can’t do it.
I ‘ve read about your great-great-grandfather who won OBE (Order for British Empire)
My old mania that everybody has 2 grandfathers ,4 great-grandfathers and 8 great-great grandfathers.
My family was proud one of my great-great grandfathers, because he was a famous doctor when was a plague epidemic in Hungary , he was a Jewish man and he became general in the (1848-49) Hungarian War of Independence. Why 7 of them had been forgetten.
The history very interesting and your question is thought breaking : .” I wonder how he became a minister through those pains, hardships and adversities under the British rule as a slave. “
Regards:
Kati Svaby