Definition

Noun: A coupon or ration ticket; a small piece of paper or card that gives the holder the right to purchase a specific quantity of a rationed good or service, or to obtain a discount.

Usage

This noun refers to a physical voucher, historically significant in periods of scarcity. It is used as a direct object or follows a possessive. - Người dân xếp hàng để nhận tem phiếu. (People lined up to receive ration coupons.) - Chính sách tem phiếu được áp dụng trong thời kỳ bao cấp. (The coupon policy was applied during the subsidy period.) - Bà tôi còn giữ một tập tem phiếu gạo cũ. (My grandmother still keeps a collection of old rice ration coupons.)

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Administrative Context: The term is strongly associated with Vietnam's period of a centralized, subsidized economy (thời bao cấp), where necessities like food, cloth, and goods were distributed via these coupons.
• Collectible Item: Old "tem phiếu" have become collectible items, representing a specific historical era.

Variants and Related Words

• Phiếu (noun): A more general term for a ticket, voucher, or form (e.g., phiếu mua hàng - purchase order, phiếu bầu - ballot).
• Coupon (noun): The direct English equivalent, commonly used for modern discount vouchers (e.g., coupon giảm giá).

Synonyms

• Phiếu tiếp tế (noun): Supply voucher.
• Voucher (noun): Voucher (a more modern, general term).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Thời tem phiếu (noun phrase): The coupon era; a common phrase referring to the period of the subsidized economy in Vietnam's history.
  • Cha mẹ tôi đã trải qua thời tem phiếu. (My parents lived through the coupon era.)

noun

1. coupons