What it means
قیام (qiyâm) is borrowed from Arabic, where it derives from the trilateral root ق-و-م (q-w-m), meaning to stand or to rise. In Persian it names a collective rising against a ruler, government, or occupying power, with a strong sense of principled resistance rather than simple chaos. A close synonym is شورش (shoresh, revolt, rebellion), which sounds more spontaneous and disorderly. قیام carries a slightly more dignified or historically weighty tone, often used for uprisings that the speaker views as justified. The opposite register would be کودتا (kudtâ, coup d’état), which involves a small group seizing power from above rather than a popular rising from below.
How to use it
- مردم علیه حکومت قیام کردند. (mardom aliye hokumat qiyâm kardand.) “The people rose up against the government.”
- قیام ملی یه نقطه عطف تاریخیه. (qiyâm-e melli ye noqte-ye atf-e târikhiye.) “The national uprising is a historical turning point.”
- اون قیام سریع سرکوب شد. (oon qiyâm sari’ sarkub shod.) “That uprising was quickly suppressed.”
- قیام مردم رو نمیشه نادیده گرفت. (qiyâm-e mardom ro nemishe nâdide gereft.) “The people’s uprising cannot be ignored.”
Cultural note
The word qiyâm appears prominently in Iranian political history to name specific events. The uprising of 15 Khordad 1342 (June 1963), led by supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini, is officially called قیام 15 خرداد in the Islamic Republic’s historical narrative. The same word was used to describe the 1979 revolutionary movement itself. Because the term carries a tone of legitimacy and heroism, both the government and opposition groups use it selectively to frame events they wish to honor, and the choice between qiyâm and shoresh can signal a speaker’s political sympathies.