noun HSK 5
cāo zuò tái
operating console · control panel · workstation · operation desk

Meaning

操作台 refers to a desk, console, or platform from which equipment, machinery, or systems are controlled and operated. It's commonly used in technical, industrial, medical, and computing contexts to describe the physical workspace where operators monitor and manage processes.

Usage

This term is standard in professional and technical environments such as factories, hospitals, laboratories, and control rooms. It emphasizes both the physical platform (台) and the operational function (操作). Native speakers use it to refer to any dedicated workspace designed for controlling equipment, from surgical operating tables to computer workstations to factory control panels.

Examples

  1. 01
    工程师正在操作台前监控设备的运行状态。
    Gōng chéng shī zhèng zài cāo zuò tái qián jiān kòng shè bèi de yùn xíng zhuàng tài.
    The engineer is monitoring the equipment's operating status at the control console.
  2. 02
    这家医院购买了五台新的手术操作台
    Zhè jiā yuàn gòu mǎi le tái xīn de shǒu shù cāo zuò tái.
    This hospital purchased five new surgical operating tables.

Characters

Measure words

  • 一个操作台
  • tái一台操作台

Common collocations

  • 手术操作台
    shǒu shù cāo zuò tái
    surgical operating table
  • 电脑操作台
    diàn nǎo cāo zuò tái
    computer workstation
  • 中央操作台
    zhōng yāng cāo zuò tái
    central control console
  • 操作台
    zài cāo zuò tái shàng
    on the operating console

Origin

The word combines 操作 (to operate) with 台 (platform/table), literally meaning 'operation platform.' This construction pattern is common in technical Chinese vocabulary, where function words combine with physical structure words.

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