What it means
چشموگوش باز (cheshm-o-gush-bâz) is built entirely from pure Persian roots: چشم (eye), گوش (ear), and باز (open). Literally it means “with open eyes and ears,” but figuratively it describes a person who is worldly, experienced, socially aware, and not easily fooled. It can be used as a compliment for someone who has seen enough of life to understand how things really work. A close synonym is پخته (pokhte, “cooked through” or “seasoned”), which also implies maturity and street wisdom. The opposite would be سادهلوح (sâde-luh), meaning naive or gullible.
How to use it
- اون آدم چشموگوش بازیه، هیچی از دستش در نمیره. (Un âdam cheshm-o-gush bâziye, hichi az dastash dar nemire.) “That person is worldly, nothing gets past them.”
- بعد از این همه سفر، دیگه چشموگوش بازه. (Bad az in hame safar, dige cheshm-o-gush bâze.) “After all that travel, they are truly open-eyed now.”
- بچهها باید چشموگوش باز باشن. (Bachehâ bâyad cheshm-o-gush bâz bâshan.) “Kids need to have their eyes and ears open.”
- آدم چشموگوش بازی میخوام کنارم. (Âdam cheshm-o-gush bâzi mikhâm kenâram.) “I want someone worldly and sharp by my side.”
Cultural note
In Persian culture, being چشموگوش باز is generally admired rather than viewed with suspicion. The phrase implies someone who has gathered genuine experience through travel, hardship, or exposure to different kinds of people. Parents often tell young adults to go into the world and become چشموگوش باز before settling down. The expression also carries a subtle moral dimension: a person who is truly open-eyed is assumed to be harder to deceive and more capable of fair judgment.