چشم

What it means

چشم (cheshm) means “eye.” It is one of the highest-frequency words in Persian and lives at the center of an enormous network of idioms and expressions about seeing, attention, and care.

Beyond the literal eye, چشم has a second meaning that surprises learners: when someone asks you to do something and you reply “چشم!” you are saying “Yes, I will do it” or “At your command.” It is shorthand for “you have my eye, my attention.” This usage is everywhere in Persian conversation.

How to use it

• چشم‌های آبی دارد (cheshm-hâ-ye âbi dârad) “She has blue eyes”
• چشم می‌بیند و دل می‌خواهد (cheshm mibinad-o del mikhâhad) “The eye sees and the heart wants” (proverb)
• “می‌توانی این کار را انجام دهی؟” “چشم!” (“mitavâni in kâr râ anjâm dahi?” “cheshm!”) “Can you do this?” “Yes, of course”

Common pairings

• چشم‌انداز (cheshm-andâz) “view, perspective”
• چشم پزشک (cheshm-pezeshk) “ophthalmologist”
• چشم به راه (cheshm be râh) “waiting expectantly”
• چشم پوشیدن (cheshm pushidan) “to overlook, ignore”
• چشم به هم زدن (cheshm be ham zadan) “to wink, to do something quickly”

Plural and possessive forms

• Plural: چشم‌ها (cheshm-hâ) “eyes” (regular ها plural)
• Possessive: چشمم (cheshmam) “my eye,” چشمت (cheshmat) “your eye,” چشمش (cheshmash) “his or her eye”

Register

Neutral. High-frequency in every register from baby talk to literary poetry. The “yes ma’am” usage is colloquial but widely used in adult speech across all settings.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab
• Wiktionary