臺

臺 (Kangxi radical 133, 至+8, 14 strokes, cangjie input 土口月土 (GRBG), four-corner 4010₄, composition ⿳吉冖至)

• 儓, 㘆, 嬯, 𡽩, 𢅣, 懛, 擡(抬), 𤁅, 𭨉, 𦢀, 檯(台), 𤐽, 𤗿, 𤢬, 𧭏, 𩦽, 𪒴, 薹, 籉, 𤻡

• 台 (Variant traditional form, Japanese shinjitai and Simplified Chinese)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1002, character 5
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 30161
• Dae Jaweon: page 1459, character 3
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2817, character 6
• Unihan data for U+81FA

Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): abbreviated 喬 + 室. Its exact structure changes depending on region and time period, but for most of its existence it has been a phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声). The phonetic has always been 之 (OC *tjɯ) or 止 (OC *kjɯʔ).

Oracle bone inscriptions: phonetic 之 (OC *tjɯ) + 宀.

Chu slips: phonetic 之 (OC *tjɯ) + 室

Jin slips:

• Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): abbreviated 喬 + 室. This is the modern form inherited by Han seal script.
• Phonetic 止 (OC *kjɯʔ) + abbreviated 室
• Phonetic 之 (OC *tjɯ) + 室

Qin dynasty: Phonetic 止 (OC *kjɯʔ) + 高 + 室

Shuowen Jiezi interprets it as ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 之 (“foot”) + abbreviated 高 (“high”) + 室 (“building”) – a watch tower. The Shuowen Jiezi Zhu considers 㞢 (*tjɯ) to be the sound component.

臺

1. tower; lookout

   烽火臺／烽火台  ―  fēnghuǒtái  ―  beacon tower

   • 萬里悲秋常作客，百年多病獨登臺。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     万里悲秋常作客，百年多病独登台。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 767, Du Fu, 登高

     Wànlǐ bēiqiū cháng zuòkè, bǎinián duōbìng dú dēng tái. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. stage; platform

   講臺／讲台  ―  jiǎngtái  ―  lectern; rostrum

   舞臺／舞台  ―  wǔtái  ―  stage (for performing)

   臺上有兩個演員。 [MSC, trad.]
   台上有两个演员。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tái shàng yǒu liǎng ge yǎnyuán. [Pinyin]

   There are two actors on stage.

3. support; stand; base

   燈臺／灯台  ―  dēngtái  ―  lampstand

   窗臺／窗台  ―  chuāngtái  ―  windowsill

4. station

   天文臺／天文台  ―  tiānwéntái  ―  observatory (place where celestial bodies are observed)

   氣象臺／气象台  ―  qìxiàngtái  ―  meteorological observatory

   電視臺／电视台  ―  diànshìtái  ―  television station

   1. (specifically) broadcasting station or channel; television station or channel

      臺標／台标  ―  táibiāo  ―  television station logo

      換臺／换台  ―  huàntái  ―  to change the television channel

      北京臺／北京台  ―  Běijīngtái  ―  Beijing TV

      芒果臺／芒果台  ―  Mángguǒtái  ―  Hunan TV

      今晚看哪個臺？／今晚看哪个台？  ―  Jīnwǎn kàn nǎge tái?  ―  Which channel shall [we] watch?

   2. (specifically, Internet) live stream

      開臺／开台  ―  kāitái  ―  to livestream

5. terrace (raised ground)
6. Suffix for terms of address conveying respect for the addressee.

   兄臺／兄台  ―  xiōngtái  ―  brother; friend

7. short for 臺灣／台灣／台湾 (Táiwān, “Taiwan”)

   乙未割臺／乙未割台  ―  yǐwèi gē Tái  ―  Cession of Taiwan in 1895

   來臺旅客／来台旅客  ―  lái Tái lǚkè  ―  tourists to Taiwan

8. short for 臺語／台語／台语 (Táiyǔ, “Taiwanese Hokkien”)
9. Classifier for machines, vehicles or electronic devices. ⇒ all nouns using this classifier

   一臺電腦／一台电脑  ―  yī tái diànnǎo  ―  a computer

   一臺望遠鏡／一台望远镜  ―  yī tái wàngyuǎnjìng  ―  a telescope

10. Classifier for stage performance. ⇒ all nouns using this classifier

    一臺戲／一台戏  ―  yī tái xì  ―  a stage performance

11. alternative form of 檯 / 台 (tái, “table; desk”)
12. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 薹 (tái)

    臺心菜／台心菜  ―  táixīncài  ―  choy sum

    • 南山有臺，北山有萊。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
      南山有台，北山有莱。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

      From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

      Nán shān yǒu tái, běi shān yǒu lái. [Pinyin]

      On the hills of the south is the sedge,
      On those of the north is the goosefoot.

13. a surname
14. (mahjong) points

• Although use of the traditional form 臺 is encouraged by the ROC Ministry of Education, the variant 台 is commonly used instead.^[1]
• The surname 臺 (Tái) is different from the surname 台 (Yí). Note that 臺 has been simplified to 台 in mainland China.

(Hyōgai kanji, kyūjitai kanji, shinjitai form 台)

1. Kyūjitai form of 台

• Go-on: だい (dai)
• Kan-on: たい (tai)
• Kun: うてな (utena, 臺)、しもべ (shimobe, 臺)、つかさ (tsukasa, 臺)、よろこぶ (yorokobu, 臺ぶ)、われ (ware, 臺)
• Nanori: だい (dai)、もと (moto)

From Middle Chinese 臺 (MC doj).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [tɛ] ~ [te̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [대/데]

Wikisource

臺 (eumhun 대 대 (dae dae))

1. hanja form^? of 대 (“platform”) [noun]
2. hanja form^? of 대 (“counter for vehicles or machinery”) [counter]
3. hanja form^? of 대 (“(after a number) in the... s”) [suffix]

臺 • (Dae) (hangeul 대)

1. (in news headlines) short for 臺(대)灣(만) (Daeman, “Taiwan”)

A common convention in news headlines, this is almost always written solely in the Hanja form, even in contemporary Korean text otherwise devoid of any Hanja.

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [3]

臺: Hán Nôm readings: đài

1. chữ Hán form of đài (“platform, broadcast station”)