What it means
نبض قلب (nabz-e qalb) describes the heartbeat or the rhythmic pulsation felt at the wrist or neck that reflects the heart’s activity. Both components come from Arabic: نبض (nabz) means “pulse” and قلب (qalb) means “heart.” The phrase is used across formal medical speech and everyday conversation when checking or describing a patient’s pulse. A close synonym is ضربان قلب (zarb-ân-e qalb), which is perhaps slightly more common in formal medical records and also means “heartbeat.” نبض on its own (without قلب) is also used colloquially to mean “pulse.”
How to use it
- پرستار نبض قلبم رو اندازه گرفت. (parastâr nabz-e qalbam-ro andâze gereft.) “The nurse took my pulse.”
- نبض قلبم خیلی تند بود. (nabz-e qalbam kheyli tond bud.) “My heartbeat was very fast.”
- دکتر گفت نبض قلبت نرماله. (doktor goft nabz-e qalbet normâl-e.) “The doctor said your pulse is normal.”
- ورزش نبض قلب رو بالا میبره. (varzesh nabz-e qalb-ro bâlâ mibare.) “Exercise raises the heart rate.”
Cultural note
In traditional Persian medicine (طب سنتی, tebb-e sonnati), checking the pulse, نبض گرفتن (nabz gereftan), was one of the most important diagnostic techniques, and detailed classification of pulse types was developed by scholars such as Ibn Sina (Avicenna). This tradition means that نبض carries cultural depth beyond its modern clinical use. In everyday speech, نبض گرفتن can also be used figuratively to mean “to gauge someone’s mood or intentions,” much like the English phrase “to take the pulse of.”