What it means
خوشبینی (khoshbini) means optimism, a positive outlook, or the tendency to expect good outcomes. The word is built entirely from Persian roots: خوش (khosh) means good or pleasant, and بینی (bini) comes from the verb دیدن (didan), to see, so the compound literally means seeing things as good. Its direct opposite is بدبینی (badbini), meaning pessimism, built the same way with بد (bad) meaning bad. The adjective form is خوشبین (khoshbin), used in sentences like من آدم خوشبینی هستم, meaning I am an optimistic person.
How to use it
- خوشبین باش. (Khoshbin bâsh.) “Be optimistic.”
- خوشبینیات رو دوست دارم. (Khoshbiniat ro dust dâram.) “I love your optimism.”
- این خوشبینی واقعیه یا سادهلوحی؟ (In khoshbini vâqe’ie yâ sâdelowhi?) “Is this genuine optimism or just naivety?”
- با خوشبینی به قضیه نگاه کن. (Bâ khoshbini be qaziye negâh kon.) “Look at the situation with a positive eye.”
Cultural note
Despite a history marked by political upheaval and hardship, Iranian culture has a strong tradition of cultivating inner positivity, rooted partly in Zoroastrian values that emphasize good thoughts (humata) alongside good words and deeds. Rumi’s poetry repeatedly returns to the idea that the lens through which you view the world shapes the world you inhabit, a philosophically optimistic stance. In modern Persian conversation, calling someone خوشبین (khoshbin) is almost always a compliment, a sign that the person carries lightness rather than heaviness into daily life.