زهی

Persian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /za.ˈheː/, /zi.ˈheː/

(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): [zi.ɦi]

Readings
Classical reading^?	zahē, zihē
Dari reading^?	zahē, zehē
Iranian reading^?	zahi, zehi
Tajik reading^?	zihi

Interjection

زهی • (zehi)

bravo! well done!
Synonym: آفرین (âfarin)

Adjective

زهی • (zehi)

(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 naġz-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)

Descendants

→ Urdu: زَہے (zahe)

Etymology 2

(zeh) +‎ (-i).

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /zi.ˈhiː/

(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)

related to musical strings
― sâz-e zehi ― string instrument

Further reading

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