Chinese Technical Documentation Style Guide

When writing Chinese technical documentation, follow these core punctuation principles:

1. Use Full-width Punctuation: Use full-width (全角) symbols for Chinese sentences to maintain visual consistency with full-width characters.
2. English Sentences: If an entire sentence is in English, use English/half-width (半角) punctuation.
3. Line Starts: Do not start a line with a period (。), comma (，), enumeration comma (、), semicolon (；), or colon (：).
4. Headings: Do not end headings with a period, comma, enumeration comma, semicolon, or colon. However, you may end headings with marks like quotation marks, parentheses, dashes, ellipses, book titles, emphasis marks, interpuncts, exclamation marks, question marks, etc.

For numbers of 1,000 or greater, use a half-width comma (,) as a thousand separator.

• For 4-digit numbers (e.g., 1000), the separator is optional (1,000 is also acceptable).
• For numbers with 5 or more digits, the separator is mandatory.

￥1,258,000

When providing supplementary information, use full-width parentheses (（）). Do not add spaces before or after the parentheses.

例句：请确认所有的连接（电缆和接插件）均安装牢固。

To ensure readability, follow these sentence structure guidelines:

1. Avoid long sentences:
   • Aim for under 20 characters per clause/sentence.
   • 20–29 characters: Acceptable.
   • 30–39 characters: Acceptable only if the meaning is crystal clear.
   • Over 40 characters: Never acceptable.
   • For long sentences separated by commas, the total length should not exceed 100 characters or 3 lines of text.
2. Prefer simple structures: Use simple or parallel sentences instead of complex/compound sentences.
3. Use affirmative language: Express ideas using positive statements rather than negative ones whenever possible.
4. Avoid double negatives: Instead of saying what a user cannot do, state what they must do to achieve the goal.

When describing changes in value, use specific phrasing to distinguish between the final amount and the amount of change:

Increases

• To a specific amount: Use "增加到" (increased to).
• By a specific increment: Use "增加了" (increased by).

Decreases

• To a specific amount: Use "降低到" (decreased to).
• By a specific increment: Use "降低了" (decreased by).

Important Restriction

Do not use "降低 N 倍" (decreased by N times) or "减少 N 倍" (reduced by N times). Instead, use percentages (e.g., "降低百分之几"). In Chinese logic, "reducing by one time" (减少一倍) implies the original value was 100 and the current value is 0.

增加到过去的两倍 (Increased to twice the past value: 1 -> 2)
增加了两倍 (Increased by two times: 1 -> 3)

降低到百分之八十 (Decreased to 80%: 100 -> 80)
降低了百分之八十 (Decreased by 80%: 100 -> 20)

Use the full-width colon (：) after words that require explanation or introduction.

Exception for Time: When representing time, use the half-width colon (:).

例句：请确认以下几项内容：时间、地点、活动名称和来宾数量。
例句：早上 8:00

Maintain a professional and modern tone by following these stylistic rules:

1. Active Voice: Prefer active voice over passive voice.
2. Formal Tone: Avoid informal or slang language.
3. Modern Vocabulary: Use common modern Chinese expressions; avoid obscure, invented, or archaic (classical) terms.
4. Correct Particle Usage:
   • 的 (Adjective + 的 + Noun)
   • 地 (Adverb + 地 + Verb)
   • 得 (Verb + 得 + Adverb)
5. Clear Pronoun Reference: When using pronouns like 其, 该, 此, or 这, ensure the referent is unambiguous.
6. Limit Adjectives: Avoid stacking excessive adjectives before a noun.

她开心的笑容 (Incorrect: should be 她露出了开心的笑容)
她开心地笑了 (Correct: Adverb + 地 + Verb)
她笑得很开心 (Correct: Verb + 得 + Adverb)

Represent currency using Arabic numerals. You should either:

1. Place the currency symbol before the number (e.g., $1,000).
2. Place the Chinese currency name after the number (e.g., 1,000 美元).

For English currency names, refer to the ISO 4217 standard.

Use the full-width enumeration comma (、) to separate parallel words within a Chinese sentence. Do not use a standard comma (,) for this purpose, even if the parallel words are English.

Rules for lists:

• Chinese lists: Use 、 between items. For the last item, it is preferred to use 和 (and) or 以及 to improve flow.
• English lists: Use the half-width comma (,) between parallel words.

错误：我最欣赏的科技公司有 Google, Facebook, 腾讯, 阿里和百度等。
正确：我最欣赏的科技公司有 Google、Facebook、腾讯、阿里和百度等。

正确（preferred）：我最欣赏的科技公司有 Google、Facebook、腾讯、阿里和百度等。

English example: Microsoft Office includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and other components.

An ellipsis (⋯⋯) represents an incomplete sentence or a pause in tone.

Requirements:

• Use the standard six-dot format (⋯⋯) which occupies the space of two Chinese characters. Do not use 。。。 or ....
• Do not use an ellipsis in conjunction with the word 等 (etc.).

错误：我们为会餐准备了香蕉、苹果、梨…等各色水果。
正确：我们为会餐准备了各色水果，有香蕉、苹果、梨⋯⋯
正确：我们为会餐准备了香蕉、苹果、梨等各色水果。