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Glite Dictionary
Kalon Tripa

Kalon Tripa

1 9.9
The elected leader of the Tibetan government in exile who leads its council
  • noun
: Kalon Tripa
  • The Kalon Tripa plays a key role in representing Tibetans in the international arena.

Examples

  • Lobsang Sangay served as the Kalon Tripa of the Tibetan government-in-exile from 2011 to 2012.

  • The Kalon Tripa addressed the assembly yesterday.

  • The newly elected Kalon Tripa addressed the Tibetan community after taking office.

  • Who is the current Kalon Tripa?

  • The Kalon Tripa represents the Tibetan people in international discussions and negotiations.

  • As the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, the Kalon Tripa oversees the administration's policies.

  • The Kalon Tripa plays a crucial role in promoting the cultural and spiritual values of Tibetan society.

Surface Forms

Kalon Tripa singular
Kalon Tripas plural

Morphology

Kalon + Tripa

This is a language-specific proper title borrowed from Tibetan (a political office) whose constituent elements are not English lexical items and do not transparently compose to the given meaning. Understanding requires cultural or encyclopedic knowledge of Tibetan government institutions rather than knowledge of the literal parts, so a B1 learner who knows the surface words would not reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Kalon Tripa comes from two Tibetan words: Kalon, meaning 'minister' or government member, and Tripa, meaning 'seat holder' or leader, giving the image of someone who holds the seat of power. That's why it means 'the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile'.