Definition

Noun: 1. A summoning tablet: A small, often rectangular, wooden or lacquered plaque historically used by Vietnamese mandarins or officials to issue and authenticate summons, orders, or commands. It served as a formal token of authority. 2. A command tablet: A physical token representing official power, used to convey mandates or mobilize personnel.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Quan lại xưa dùng thẻ bài để triệu tập người dân. (Officials in the past used a summoning tablet to call upon the people.)
  • Thẻ bài của vị tướng được bảo quản cẩn thận trong viện bảo tàng. (The general's command tablet is carefully preserved in the museum.)
  • Lính canh phải trình thẻ bài mỗi khi ra vào. (The guards must present their identification/authority tablet each time they enter or exit.)

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Administrative Context: The term is primarily used in historical narratives or discussions about feudal Vietnamese administration. It symbolizes bureaucratic authority and procedure.
  • Hệ thống hành chính thời phong kiến thường dựa vào thẻ bài để vận hành. (The feudal administrative system often relied on summoning tablets to function.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bài (noun): Can mean a card, a tablet, or a plaque. In compounds, it often refers to flat, token-like objects (e.g., , - ancestral tablet).
• Thẻ (noun): A card, tag, or ticket (e.g., - bank card, - ID card). Combined with , it specifies a type of official plaque.
• Mệnh bài (noun): Another historical term for a command or authority tablet, often used similarly.

Synonyms

• Bảng hiệu triệu tập (noun): A summoning placard/sign. (Less specific, modern paraphrase)
• Thẻ lệnh (noun): An order tablet/command card. (Close in meaning, emphasizing the "order" aspect)

Related Phrases/Idioms

(Note: "Thẻ bài" itself is a specific noun and is not commonly part of larger idiomatic expressions. Its usage is literal.) - Ra oai với thẻ bài: (To throw one's weight around with one's authority tablet) - A figurative expression meaning to abuse one's official power or position. - Tên quan nhỏ đó chỉ biết ra oai với thẻ bài. (That petty official only knows how to throw his weight around.)

noun

1. simmoning tablet