How to Read “豚に真珠”
Buta ni shinju
Meaning of “豚に真珠”
“Pearls to pig” is a proverb that expresses how it’s meaningless to give something valuable to someone who cannot understand its worth.
This proverb refers to situations where good or precious things become completely wasted if the recipient lacks the ability or sensitivity to understand their value. While pigs are certainly intelligent animals, they cannot understand the value of beautiful pearls. To a pig, pearls are nothing more than inedible pebbles.
Similar situations occur in human relationships as well. It’s used when showing wonderful works of art to people with no interest in art fails to move them, or when valuable advice falls on deaf ears with those unwilling to listen. It also applies when giving expensive gifts to someone who doesn’t understand their value or meaning. When using this proverb, it’s often employed not to look down on others, but to objectively view differences in values and understanding.
Origin and Etymology
The origin of “Pearls to pig” traces back to a passage in the Christian Bible, specifically Matthew 7:6 in the Gospel of Matthew. It’s based on the teaching: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.”
This biblical passage was a religious lesson stating that it’s meaningless to give sacred or precious things to those who cannot understand their value. Pigs were considered unclean animals in Judaism and Christianity of that time, and the contrast was used to show that giving beautiful and precious pearls to pigs would only result in the pigs mistaking them for food and trampling them.
This expression is thought to have been introduced to Japan along with Christian missionary work from the Meiji period onward. During the process of translating Western literature, this biblical metaphorical expression became established as a Japanese proverb. Interestingly, similar expressions exist in countries around the world, with English still using “cast pearls before swine.” This proverb, while having religious background, continues to be beloved across borders as an expression of universal human experience.
Interesting Facts
Pigs are actually highly intelligent animals, considered smarter than dogs. They have excellent memory and can even learn their own names. Perhaps the high intelligence of pigs wasn’t well known when this proverb was created.
Pearls have been called “tears of the moon” or “tears of mermaids” since ancient times and were believed to possess mystical powers. Particularly in Japan, pearls were considered ingredients for elixirs of immortality, making them truly precious gems with deep value that pigs couldn’t understand.
Usage Examples
- I gave my son expensive wine as a gift, but since he’s not interested in alcohol, it was pearls to pig
- I invited her to a famous teacher’s lecture, but she was on her phone the whole time – it was pearls to pig
Modern Interpretation
In modern society, “Pearls to pig” situations have become more complex and diverse. Precisely because we live in an information-rich era, valuable information and knowledge often reach people who don’t need it or can’t understand it on a daily basis.
With the spread of social media and the internet, specialized knowledge and valuable information have become accessible to everyone. However, this has resulted in an “informational pearls to pig” phenomenon. For example, excellent educational content may be freely available online, but it’s completely unused by people without motivation to learn. Similarly, experts’ valuable advice may be shared on social media but often ends up being understood only superficially.
On the other hand, modern times have seen increasing diversification of values. What might have been considered “pearls to pig” in the past may actually hold great value when viewed from a different angle. For instance, someone with no interest in classical music might be moved when hearing it as background music in a game.
In educational settings, this proverb has taken on new meaning. Since each person has different learning styles and interests, changing how the same content is presented can expand the possibility of helping people understand the value of “pearls.”
When AI Hears This
The reason pigs cannot recognize the value of pearls when they see them might actually be because their cognitive processing capacity has reached its limit. We in modern times find ourselves in the same situation.
The human brain is said to be able to process about 34GB of information per day. However, in today’s world, it’s not uncommon for the information we receive on our smartphones alone to reach several hundred gigabytes daily. This means our brains are constantly in a state of “cognitive saturation.”
For example, when we open social media, we’re flooded with friends’ status updates, news, advertisements, and videos streaming one after another. In this flood of information, even when there are truly important messages (pearls), we miss them because our brain’s processing capacity has exceeded its limits. Just as pigs cannot distinguish pearls from feed, we too have lost the capacity to differentiate between valuable information and noise.
According to the “satisficing theory” proposed by psychologist Herbert Simon, when there are too many choices, people stop searching for the optimal solution and become satisfied with a compromise point of “well, this is good enough.”
“Pearls before swine” may have been a warning for us in this age of information overload. What matters is not increasing information, but maintaining cognitive space and cultivating the ability to discern true value.
Lessons for Today
What “Pearls to pig” teaches us modern people is the importance of understanding others. Rather than simply interpreting this proverb as “it’s useless because the other person can’t understand,” why not use it as an opportunity to think about “how can we convey value?”
When you want to share something you hold dear with someone, by adjusting your approach to match their position and interests, you might help them feel the brilliance of those “pearls.” Whether in education, business, or human relationships, finding ways to resonate with others’ hearts is most important.
It’s also important to reflect on whether we ourselves are becoming “pigs.” In the busyness of daily life, aren’t we overlooking the “pearls” around us? The kindness of family, advice from friends, the beauty of nature – true value might be hidden in things we take for granted.
This proverb teaches us wisdom that’s needed especially in modern times: cultivating an eye for discerning value and nurturing a heart that cares for others.
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