What it means
تدبیر (tadbir) means prudent planning, a strategic measure, or the act of thinking through consequences before acting. Persian borrowed this word from Arabic, where it is built on the root د-ب-ر (d-b-r), related to دُبُر meaning what comes after or the rear end of something, giving rise to the idea of thinking about what follows from an action. In Persian, تدبیر carries a strong sense of wisdom and foresight: it is not just planning but considered, deliberate planning. A related phrase is با تدبیر (bâ tadbir), meaning prudent or wise in one’s approach, and the contrast اندیشه و تدبیر (andishe va tadbir) pairs thought with strategic action.
How to use it
- این کار تدبیر میخواد. (in kâr tadbir mikhâd.) “This matter requires careful strategy.”
- تدبیرش درست بود. (tadbirash dorost bud.) “His approach was sound.”
- با تدبیر عمل کن. (bâ tadbir amal kon.) “Act with prudence.”
- تدبیری برای این مشکل داری؟ (tadbiri barâ-ye in moshkel dâri?) “Do you have a strategy for this problem?”
Cultural note
تدبیر appears throughout classical Persian literature and political thought as a central virtue of good leadership. The genre of Mirrors for Princes, including texts like Kaykâvus ibn Iskandar’s Qâbusnâmeh from the eleventh century, repeatedly emphasizes تدبیر as what separates a wise ruler from a reckless one. In modern Iranian organizational culture, particularly in government and military contexts, the word still carries that weight of careful, consequences-aware decision-making rather than improvised reaction.
References
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