Biblical: 1) a parable or example: zhing pa'i dpe/ or sa bon btab mkhan gyi dpe/ the parable of the sower (Mt. 13:18), dpe'i sgo nas ci'i phyir gsungs/ why do you speak to the people in parables (Mt. 13:10), dpe med par ci'ang ma gsungs/ he did not say anything to them without using a parable (Mk. 4:34); 2) a figure of speech: ngas khyed la de rnams dpe'i sgo nas bshad/ I have been speaking figuratively (Jn. 16:25), dpe'i sgo nas ma gsung bar/ without using figures of speech (Jn. 16:29), de ni dpe zhig yin te/ these things may be taken figuratively (Gal. 4:24).
Buddhist: 1) an example: sgyu ma'i dpe bcu gnyis/ the twelve examples of illusion [used in showing the illusory nature of reality] (CNG 156), de ni dang por sa bon 'debs pa dang dpe mtshungs pa zhig red/ it is like the example of first planting the seed (TRC 288); 2) a proverb or wise saying: bod pa'i dpe gcig a Tibetan proverb (DPD); 3) a parable, such as that of Gotami and the sesame seed (SGN 20).
Cognates: 1) dpe cha/ Tibetan-style book (TRC 2); 2) dpe deb/ Western-style book: snyan tshom dpe deb/ books of poetry (SBC-1 64); 3) phyag dpe/ booklet, pamphlet, tract (DPD); 4) dpe byed pa/ to model, to take as an example: lan tsha'i yi ge la dpe byas nas/ modeled on the lantsa alphabet (TRC 112); 5) dper na/ for example (TRC 164); 6) dpe ra na/ to take as an example: srog gcod pa la dper na/ to take killing as an example (TRC 243).
[lit. hide + word; riddle]
Biblical: a parable, a saying with a hidden meaning: gab tshig de'i skor bka' 'dri zhus pa/ asked him about this parable (Mk. 7:17), gab tshig tu lus nas/ [the meaning] remained hidden (Lk. 18:34).
Secular: Tibetans have a long tradition of riddles; e.g. ka ba med pa'i mtho po/ a high place without pillars = gnam/ the sky (BGT 4).