對牛彈琴

See also: 对牛弹琴

Chinese

		couple; pair; to be opposite couple; pair; to be opposite; to oppose; to face; for; to; correct (answer); to answer; to reply; to direct (towards something); right	ox; cow; bull	to play certain musical instruments that can be described as, such as some stringed instruments, or a keyboard instrument
trad. (對牛彈琴)		對	牛	彈琴
simp. (对牛弹琴)		对	牛	弹琴
Literally: “playing the guqin to a cow”.

Etymology

First attested in c. 3rd century CE in the story of the Warring States-era musician Gongming Yi (公明儀) playing the zither to a cow, recorded in Mouzi Lihuolun. Mouzi used this example to illustrate the correct way to explain Buddhism to people with Confucian backgrounds.

公明儀為牛彈《清角》之操，伏食如故。非牛不聞，不合其耳矣。轉為蚊虻之聲、孤犢之鳴，即掉尾、奮耳，蹀躞而聽。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

公明仪为牛弹《清角》之操，伏食如故。非牛不闻，不合其耳矣。转为蚊虻之声、孤犊之鸣，即掉尾、奋耳，蹀躞而听。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Sengyou, Hongming Ji, c. 5^th Century AD

Gōngmíng Yí wèi niú dàn “Qīngjiǎo” zhī cāo, fú shí rúgù. Fēi niú bù wén, bù hé qí ěr yǐ. Zhuǎn wèi wén méng zhī shēng, gū dú zhī míng, jí diào wěi, fèn ěr, diéxiè ér tīng. [Pinyin]

Gongming Yi played the song Qing Jue to a cow. It continued eating grass as if nothing had happened. [The problem] was not that the cow did not listen, it was [the music] not suitable for the cow's ears instead. He then made noises of mosquitoes, flies, and lone calves, and the cow started wagging its tail, turned its ears, and listened while strolling.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): duìniútánqín

  (Zhuyin): ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄊㄢˊ ㄑㄧㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): deoi³ ngau⁴ taan⁴ kam⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): tui-ngiù-thàn-khìm
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): tùi-gû-tôaⁿ-khîm

  (Teochew, Peng'im): dui³ ghu⁵ duan⁵ kim⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: duìniútánqín
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄊㄢˊ ㄑㄧㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: duèinióutáncín
    • Wade–Giles: tui⁴-niu²-tʻan²-chʻin²
    • Yale: dwèi-nyóu-tán-chín
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dueynioutarnchyn
    • Palladius: дуйнютаньцинь (dujnjutanʹcinʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ tʰän³⁵ t͡ɕʰin³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: deoi³ ngau⁴ taan⁴ kam⁴
    • Yale: deui ngàuh tàahn kàhm
    • Cantonese Pinyin: doey³ ngau⁴ taan⁴ kam⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: dêu³ ngeo⁴ tan⁴ kem⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɵy̯³³ ŋɐu̯²¹ tʰaːn²¹ kʰɐm²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: tui-ngiù-thàn-khìm
    • Hakka Romanization System: dui ngiu^ˇ tan^ˇ kim^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: dui⁴ ngiu² tan² kim²
    • Sinological IPA: /tu̯i⁵⁵ ŋi̯u¹¹ tʰan¹¹ kʰim¹¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tùi-gû-tôaⁿ-khîm
    • Tâi-lô: tuì-gû-tuânn-khîm
    • Phofsit Daibuun: duie'gu'dvoa'qiim
    • IPA (Xiamen): /tui²¹⁻⁵³ ɡu²⁴⁻²² tuã²⁴⁻²² kʰim²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tui⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ ɡu²⁴⁻²² tuã²⁴⁻²² kʰim²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /tui²¹⁻⁵³ ɡu¹³⁻²² tuã¹³⁻²² kʰim¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tui¹¹⁻⁵³ ɡu²⁴⁻¹¹ tuã²⁴⁻¹¹ kʰim²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tui²¹⁻⁴¹ ɡu²³⁻³³ tuã²³⁻³³ kʰim²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: dui³ ghu⁵ duan⁵ kim⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tùi gû tuâⁿ khîm
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tui²¹³⁻⁵⁵ ɡu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ tũã⁵⁵⁻¹¹ kʰim⁵⁵/

Verb

對牛彈琴 (chengyu)

1. to talk about something that one's listener can not understand or turns a deaf ear to; to talk to a brick wall; to preach to deaf ears

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (對牛彈琴):

• → Korean: 대우탄금(對牛彈琴) (dae'utan'geum)
• → Vietnamese: đối ngưu đàn cầm (對牛彈琴)

Others:

• → Japanese: 牛(うし)に対(たい)して琴(こと)を弾(だん)ず (ushi ni tai shite koto o danzu) (calque)
• → Vietnamese: đàn gảy tai trâu (calque)
• → Thai: สีซอให้ควายฟัง (sǐi-sɔɔ-hâi-kwaai-fang) (calque)