One of the two main styles of translating texts from Indian languages, Chinese, and other languages into Tibetan. The meaning of the source text is rendered into Tibetan in a holistic way, using natural Tibetan constructions and style. In contrast, a word translation (tshig 'gyur)—the other main translation style—renders each word and grammatical construction from the source text, making a faithful Tibetan translation that however is often clumsy in terms of word order, syntax, grammar, and so forth. Most of the translations made during the first dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet (snga dar, roughly seventh to mid-ninth century) are said to employ the meaning translation style.