Chinese idiom · 成语
对牛弹琴
Meaning
To waste effort on an unappreciative audience; casting pearls before swine.
Character by character
Origin and story
Illustrative anecdoteIn Mouzi Lihuolun (牟子理惑論), preserved in volume 1 of Hongming Ji (弘明集), Gongming Yi plays a refined qin melody for an ox. The animal continues grazing. The explanation is not that it cannot hear, but that the music does not engage it. When the sounds change to buzzing insects and a lone calf’s cries, it moves its ears and tail and listens.
The surrounding argument explains why a speaker uses texts already familiar to the audience when discussing unfamiliar ideas. The story therefore concerns adapting communication to its listeners. Later usage can blame an unreceptive audience, but calling another person an ox can be insulting.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
我跟完全不懂摄影的朋友讲了半天镜头参数，简直是对牛弹琴。
I spent ages explaining lens specifications to a friend who knows nothing about photography; my explanation went nowhere.
The example can criticize the speaker’s choice of explanation. Use carefully, since it may sound contemptuous of the listener.