CHENGYU
对牛弹琴(duì niú tán qín)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- informal, can be rude
- Source:
- 汉·牟融《牟子理惑论》
MEANING
- Literal
- to play the lute to a cow
- Figurative meaning
- to speak to someone who cannot understand; to waste words
ORIGIN STORY
In a Han-era anecdote, the musician Gongmingyi played fine music for his cow, which went on eating grass, unimpressed. It came to mean addressing an audience that cannot appreciate what is said.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to cast pearls before swine”
EXAMPLES
跟他谈艺术，简直是对牛弹琴。Gēn tā tán yìshù, jiǎnzhí shì duì niú tán qín.HSK6
Talking to him about art is like casting pearls before swine.
我说了半天他也不懂，真是对牛弹琴。Wǒ shuō le bàntiān tā yě bù dǒng, zhēn shì duì niú tán qín.HSK6
I explained at length and he still did not get it — wasted words.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It can sound insulting; use it to describe a wasted explanation, not to mock the listener to their face.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01