मतलब
To make a great effort to cope with a difficult situation.
सांस्कृतिक पृष्ठभूमि
In Iranian poetry, 'dast o pā zadan' is often contrasted with 'taslim' (submission). While struggling is human, some mystic poets suggest that struggling against destiny is like a bird hitting its wings against a cage. In Dari Persian, the phrase is used similarly, but sometimes 'تپ و تلاش' (tap o talāsh) is preferred for the 'effort' part of the meaning. Tajik Persian uses the Cyrillic script (дасту по задан). The meaning remains identical, often used in formal news to describe economic crises. On Iranian Twitter/X, 'دست و پا زدن' is often used to mock politicians or celebrities who are trying to explain away a scandal. It implies their excuses are making it worse.
Use with 'برای'
Always use the preposition 'barāye' (for) to show what you are struggling for.
Don't use for 'exercise'
Even though you move your hands and feet in the gym, this is NOT the word for exercising.
मतलब
To make a great effort to cope with a difficult situation.
Use with 'برای'
Always use the preposition 'barāye' (for) to show what you are struggling for.
Don't use for 'exercise'
Even though you move your hands and feet in the gym, this is NOT the word for exercising.
The 'Drowning' nuance
Iranians will immediately picture someone drowning when you say this, so use it for serious struggles.
Negative form
Use 'دست و پا نزن' (Don't struggle) to tell someone to relax or stop making excuses.
खुद को परखो
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.
او برای حل این مشکل خیلی دست و پا ______.
The idiom always uses the verb 'zadan' (to hit).
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose the correct sentence:
This correctly uses the idiom to describe a struggle with learning.
Complete the dialogue.
A: چرا اینقدر نگرانی؟ B: چون در بدهی دارم ________.
Struggling with debt is a classic context for this idiom.
Match the situation to the meaning of 'دست و پا زدن'.
Situation: A fish out of water.
For a fish, it is a literal physical struggle to breathe and move.
🎉 स्कोर: /4
विज़ुअल लर्निंग टूल्स
Zadan vs Kardan
अभ्यास बैंक
4 अभ्यासاو برای حل این مشکل خیلی دست و پا ______.
The idiom always uses the verb 'zadan' (to hit).
Choose the correct sentence:
This correctly uses the idiom to describe a struggle with learning.
A: چرا اینقدر نگرانی؟ B: چون در بدهی دارم ________.
Struggling with debt is a classic context for this idiom.
Situation: A fish out of water.
For a fish, it is a literal physical struggle to breathe and move.
🎉 स्कोर: /4
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल
10 सवालYes! It's very common to say 'بچه دست و پا میزند' when a baby is excited or playing.
It can be slightly patronizing, as it implies they are failing or desperate. Use it carefully about others.
'Talāsh kardan' is positive and organized effort. 'Dast o pā zadan' is often disorganized or desperate.
Yes, but 'تقلا کردن' (taghalla kardan) is slightly more formal for academic writing.
Not always, but it usually implies the situation is very difficult and success is not guaranteed.
Say 'دست و پا زدم' (Dast o pā zadam).
Yes, 'دست و پا زدن' itself acts as the gerund/noun (struggling).
It's a bit of a stretch, but you could say it metaphorically if the computer is 'struggling' to run a program.
Maybe 'آرامش داشتن' (having peace) or 'به راحتی انجام دادن' (doing easily).
Very often! Especially in sad songs about love or life's hardships.
संबंधित मुहावरे
دست و پا کردن
similarTo manage to get or find something.
خود را به آب و آتش زدن
builds onTo go through great trouble.
جون کندن
synonymTo struggle extremely hard (literally: to dig out one's soul).
در گل ماندن
contrastTo be stuck in the mud.
