What it means
چشمانداز (cheshmandâz) is a compound of two pure Persian words: چشم (cheshm), meaning eye, and انداز (andâz), the agent form of انداختن (andâkhtan), to throw or cast. Together they describe what the eye casts its gaze over: a landscape, a vista, or more abstractly, an outlook or perspective on future events. In everyday speech it is used both for literal physical scenery (the view from a mountain) and for figurative meaning (a political or economic outlook). A near synonym for the scenic sense is منظره (manzare), which is an Arabic-origin word, making cheshmandâz the preferred choice when a speaker wants a distinctly Persian register.
How to use it
- از بالای کوه چشماندازِ شهر خیلی قشنگه. (az bâlâ-ye kuh cheshmandâz-e shahr kheyli ghashange.) “From the top of the mountain the view of the city is beautiful.”
- چشمانداز اقتصادی کشور روشنتر شده. (cheshmandâz-e eghtesâdi-ye keshvar rowshantâr shode.) “The economic outlook of the country has become brighter.”
- این پنجره چشمانداز خوبی به باغ داره. (in panjare cheshmandâz-e khubi be bâgh dâre.) “This window has a good view of the garden.”
- توی برنامهریزی باید به چشمانداز بلندمدت فکر کرد. (tu barnâmerizi bâyad be cheshmandâz-e bolandmodat fekr kard.) “In planning one must think about the long-term outlook.”
Cultural note
The word cheshmandâz appears in classical Persian poetry and prose, where landscape and vision are deeply intertwined themes. Iranian government and corporate documents use it heavily in the phrase چشمانداز ۱۴۰۴ (cheshmandâz-e 1404), referring to Iran’s 20-year strategic development plan that runs to the Persian year 1404, equivalent to 2025-2026. This dual use, concrete scenery and abstract future vision, reflects a broader pattern in Persian where the same word carries both physical and philosophical weight.