Based on high resolution data of the daily precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau (hereafter TP) from 1961 to 2010, the spatial and temporal characteristics of precipitation over the TP are studied. According to relatively heavy rain, rainy, relatively little rain, little rain and drought area, the whole TP is divided into eight subareas, which represent the amounts of precipitation in the region. The trend and distribution of annual and seasonal precipitation over the TP are analyzed and discussed during the studied period. The results show that the distribution of the average annual precipitation over the TP is uneven and has spatial differences, decreasing from the southeastern to northwestern TP. At the same time, the precipitation has seasonal differences, with largest/smallest amount in summer/winter, followed by spring and autumn. The distribution of precipitation in summer is like the annual average precipitation. In other seasons, the precipitation is generally concentrated in the southern, southeast and southwest TP. The trends to the east and west of 102°E are quite different in the TP. The trend of seasonal average precipitation is obvious, dominated by region and time. Regions with larger average precipitation also have larger magnitudes of increase. Each subarea has increased precipitation in each season, except the large area in the eastern TP having decreasing trend in summer, and regions around Lhasa having reduced trends in winter.