Tashi delek - བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས
Tashi delek (also written zhaxi dele, tashi deleg, tashi deley, or trashi delek; Tibetan: བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས; Wylie: bkra shis bde legs; Lhasa dialect IPA: ʈáɕiʔ dèleʔ is a Tibetan greeting.
Tashi means auspicious and Delek (or Deleg, Deleh) means fine or well. It is difficult and perhaps impossible to translate properly into English. Different authors render it as "Blessings and good luck" or "May all auspicious signs come to this environment".
The correct usage of the phrase "Tashi Delek" can be a point of contention between Tibetans in and outside of China. Tibetans outside of China use it in approximately the same way as the English "Good day", whereas Tibetans in China use it only for New Year's greetings. Each claims the other side's use has been corrupted. However, Tibetans all over the Tibetan Plateau respond positively to tourists using it year round and also might greet Westerners with 'Tashi Delek'.
The phrase "Tashi delek" is also used in the Chinese language with the Chinese transcription Zhaxi Dele (扎西德勒). Most Chinese only know the Chinese transcription of the phrase, not its Roman alphabet transcription.[citation needed] There is a song called Zhaxi Dele with lyrics by Rongzhong Erjia (容中尔甲), a Tibetan, and music by Chang Yingzhong (昌英中), a Han Chinese. (Wikipedia)
'Tashi Delei' at Shanghai Expo
Dancers from Tibet perform wearing their traditional costumes during the opening ceremony of Tibet Culture Week at the Shanghai World Expo on Sept 1. Tibet Culture Week began from Sept 1, concluded on Sunday. During the five days, traditional Tibetan medicines, calligraphy and Tangkha paintings were exhibited, which showcased typical Tibetan culture. More than 400 Tibetan artists have performed at the Expo during week.
China and Tibet - Xi Zang 西藏
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that," Dalai Lama
