حلقه به گوش

Persian

FWOTD – 26 June 2022

Alternative forms

حلقه بگوش (halqe be guš)

Etymology

(halqe, “ring, hoop”) +‎ (be, “on”) +‎ (guš, “ear”), literally “ring-on-the-ear”. In ancient and medieval Persia, slaves were marked by earrings bearing their owner’s name.

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /hal.qa ba ˈɡoːʃ/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [häl.qä bä ɡoːʃ]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔäl.qä bä ɡoːʃ]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔäl.qä bä ɡʊːʃ]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [hæl.ɢe be ɡ̥uːʃ]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [häl.qä bä ɡɵʃ]

Readings
Classical reading^?	halqa ba gōš
Dari reading^?	halqa ba gōš
Iranian reading^?	halġe be guš
Tajik reading^?	halqa ba güš

Noun

حلقه به گوش • (halqe be guš)

(metonymic) slave; bondsman
Synonyms: بنده (bande), غلام (ġolâm)
- c. 1390, Hafez, “Ghazal 317”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divān of Hafez]‎^[1]:
  تا شدم حلقه به گوشِ درِ میخانهٔ عشق
  هر دم آید غمی از نو به مبارکبادم
  tâ šudam halqa ba gôš-i dar-i mayxâna-yi išq
  har dam âyad ġammî az naw ba mubârakbâd-am
  Since I became a slave to the door of love’s tavern
  A sorrow comes every moment to congratulate me anew.
  (romanization in Classical Persian)

Adjective

حلقه به گوش • (halqe be guš)

(figurative) obedient; submissive; slavish