خلق و خو
khalq o khoo
In Persian, the word for temper is خلق و خو (khalq o khoo).
The phrase خلق و خو is used to describe a person's inherent character or temperament rather than a temporary mood.
Meaning: tendency to be of a certain type of mood (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
This phrase is composed of two parts connected by the conjunction و (and): خلق, which means creation or nature and خو, which means habit or disposition.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase خلق و خو is a compound noun connected by the conjunction و (and).
How do you pronounce it?
khalq o khoo
Did you know?
- In Persian culture, a person's خلق و خو is often linked to the ancient theory of the four humors, which suggests temperament is tied to bodily fluids.
- The Persian word و is a distant relative of the Turkish word 've' and the Biblical Hebrew 'wa-'.
- Because خلق can mean 'people' or 'creation', a listener must rely entirely on the context of خلق و خو to know you are talking about a person's mood.
Examples in context
- او دارای خشم زودگذری می‌باشد.He has a short temper.
- من آدم عصبی نیستم.I'm not a person with a temper.
- من با این خلق و خو نمی‌توانم کار کنم.man ba in khalgh o khou nemitavanam kar konam.I cannot work with this temperament.
- او همیشه خلق و خو آرامی دارد.u hamishe khalgh o khou-ye arami darad.He always has a calm temperament.
Example conversation
Mohammad and Sara are talking about a new coworker.
- محمد Mohammadسارا، نظر تو درباره همکار جدید چیست؟Sara, nazare to darbareye hamkare jadid chist?Sara, what do you think about the new coworker?
- سارا Saraاو خلق و خوی خیلی مهربانی دارد.Ou kholgh o khuye kheyli mehrabani darad.He has a very kind temper.
- محمد Mohammadواقعاً؟ من فکر می‌کردم سخت‌گیر باشد.Vaghean? Man fekr mikardam sakhtgir bashad.Really? I thought he would be strict.
- سارا Saraنه، محمد، او اصلاً تند نیست.Na, Mohammad, ou aslan tond nist.No, Mohammad, he is not short-tempered at all.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries خلق, خو, و, CC BY-SA 4.0.
