What it means
چشمبهراه (cheshm-be-râh) literally means “eye-to-road.” It describes the state of waiting for someone with your eyes on the path they will travel, watching for them to appear. In practice it covers everything from hopeful anticipation to anxious longing. All components are pure Persian: چشم (cheshm, eye), به (be, to/on), راه (râh, road, path). The compound functions as a predicate adjective: کسی چشمبهراه کسیست, someone is waiting for someone.
How to use it
- مادرم چشمبهراهمه (mâdaram cheshm-be-râhameh) “My mother is waiting for me with her eyes on the road”
- هنوز چشمبهراهتم (hanuz cheshm-be-râhatam) “I am still waiting for you, still watching for you”
- همه چشمبهراه خبر بودن (hame cheshm-be-râh-e khabar budan) “Everyone was waiting anxiously for news”
- چشمبهراه نشستم تا برگردی (cheshm-be-râh neshastam tâ bargardi) “I sat watching the road until you returned”
Cultural note
The image of a mother or lover standing at the door or window, eyes fixed on the lane, is a recurring motif in Persian classical poetry and folk song. Poets from Hafez to Forough Farrokhzad have drawn on the same visual. In everyday speech the word has lost none of its emotional weight. Saying چشمبهراهتم to a friend who is late is warm and gentle, not dramatic.