to cast pearls before swine
Preserved but no longer current.
To give what is precious to those who are unable to under- stand its value: a biblical phrase (see Matt, yii, 6). If pearls were cast to swine, the swine would trample them under foot.
cho điều gì quý giá cho những người không hiểu giá trị của nó
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to cast pearls before swine” mean?
To give what is precious to those who are unable to under- stand its value: a biblical phrase (see Matt, yii, 6). If pearls were cast to swine, the swine would trample them under foot.
Is “to cast pearls before swine” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.