What it means
بیل (bil) means a spade or shovel, the flat-bladed digging tool found on every farm and in every garden shed across Iran. The word is native Persian, inherited from Middle Persian, and has been in continuous use since ancient times. It refers primarily to the long-handled spade used to turn soil, dig ditches, and move loose earth. A closely related tool is کلنگ (kolang), the pickaxe, which breaks hard ground before the bil goes in.
How to use it
- بیل رو بردار و زمین رو شخم بزن. (Bil ro bardâr o zamin ro shokhm bezan.) “Pick up the spade and turn the soil.”
- بیل کجاست؟ باید چاه رو بکنم. (Bil kojâst? Bâyad châh ro bokonam.) “Where is the shovel? I need to dig the well.”
- با بیل کود رو توی خاک زد. (Bâ bil kud ro tuye khâk zad.) “He worked the fertilizer into the soil with a spade.”
- یه بیل نو خریدم برای باغچه. (Ye bil-e no kharidám barâye bâghche.) “I bought a new spade for the garden.”
Cultural note
The بیل has been a symbol of honest labor in Persian culture for centuries. In classical poetry and folk sayings, working the land with a bil is often contrasted with the idleness of the wealthy, making it an emblem of dignity through hard work. In rural villages across Iran, a bil propped against the door of a house still signals that the farmer is out in the fields.