زهی

Persian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [za.heː], [zi.heː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [zä.ɦeː], [ze̞.ɦeː]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [zä.ɦeː], [ze̞.ɦeː]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [zä.jeː], [zi.jeː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [zä.jeː], [zi.jeː]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [zæ.ɦiː], [ze.ɦiː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [zä.ɦe], [zi.ɦe]

Readings
Classical reading?	zahē, zihē
Dari reading?	zahē, zehē
Iranian reading?	zahi, zehi
Tajik reading?	zahe, zehe

Interjection

زهی • (zehi)

1. bravo! well done!

   Synonym: آفرین (âfarin)

Adjective

زهی • (zehi)

1. (always before the noun) what a..., what a great...
   • c. 1250, Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Rūmī, “Ghazal 94”, in دیوان شمس تبریزی [The Divān of Shams-i Tabrīzī]‎^[1]:

     زهی عشق زهی عشق که ما راست خدایا
     چه نغزست و چه خوبست و چه زیباست خدایا

     zihē išq zihē išq ki mā rā-st xudāyā
     či nağz-ast u či xūb-ast u či zēbā-st xudāyā

     What a love, what a love that is ours, o God!
     How fine and how good and how beautiful, o God!

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

   • c. 1390, Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfiẓ, “Ghazal 416”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divān of Ḥāfiẓ]‎^[2]:

     منم که بی تو نفس می‌کشم زهی خجلت
     مگر تو عفو کنی ورنه چیست عذر گناه

     man-am ki bē tu nafas mē-kašam zihē xajlat
     magar tu afw kunī warna čēst uzr-i gunāh

     I am one who is breathing even without you. What a great shame!
     How can this crime be excused unless you forgive me?

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

Etymology 2

زه (zeh) +‎ ـی (-i).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [zi.ˈhiː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ze̞.ɦíː]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ze̞.ɦíː]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [zɪíː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [zií]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ze.ɦíː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [zi.ɦí]

Readings
Classical reading?	zihī
Dari reading?	zehī
Iranian reading?	zehi
Tajik reading?	zihi

Adjective

زهی • (zehi)

1. related to musical strings

   ساز زهی ― sâz-e zehi ― string instrument

Further reading

• Hayyim, Sulayman (1934) “زهی”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim