對牛彈琴 (Casting pearls before swine)
대우탄금(對牛彈琴)
對 to | 牛 the cow | 彈 to play | 琴 lute |
A long, long time ago, there was a lute player named Gong Ming Yi.
One day, while Gong was playing the lute outdoors, he saw a cow eating some grass.
"You are a lucky cow!" Gong thought. "Let me perform an exquisite piece of music for you!" he said to the cow.
Gong then closed his eyes and played his favorite tune. He was intoxicated by the melody and thought the cow would appreciate his generous offer. He opened his eyes and peeked at the cow.
The cow was not taking any heed of the elegant sounds. Instead, it kept its head down and continued to chew.
Gong couldn`t figure out why its response was not what he expected.
"Perhaps it didn`t like this music," Gong thought, so he changed the melody.
However, the cow still focused only on its meal regardless of how many pieces of music Gong played -- none of them caught the cow`s attention at all.
Gong was frustrated, but then decided to try something very different: the sound of a mosquito`s buzz.
The cow wagged its tail, pricked its ears and walked to Gong. It looked at him, lowered its head and continued to eat the grass.
The idiom refers to someone who speaks or writes without considering his or her audience.
References
Quotes·Quotations
¶ Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and annoys the pig. (Mark Twain)
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