对牛弹琴 / 對牛彈琴
duì niú tán qín
Meaning
- literally to play the lute to a cow (idiom)
- figuratively offering a treat to an unappreciative audience
- to cast pearls before swine
- caviar to the general
- to preach to deaf ears
- to talk over someone's head
Example sentences
跟小人说理，就如同对牛弹琴。
跟小人說理，就如同對牛彈琴。
gēn xiǎo rén shuō lǐ， jiù rú tóng duì niú tán qín。
Trying to reason with a petty person is like playing music to a cow.