#Markdown Basic Syntax

Markdown's basic syntax is simple and easy to learn. This chapter introduces the most commonly used core syntax, allowing you to quickly master the basics of Markdown.

#Paragraphs and Line Breaks

#Paragraphs

Separate paragraphs with blank lines:

This is the first paragraph.

This is the second paragraph.

Result:

This is the first paragraph.

This is the second paragraph.

#Line Breaks

Add two spaces at the end of a line or use the <br> tag:

First line
Second line

Result:

First line Second line

#Headings

Use # symbols to create headings, supporting levels 1-6:

# Level 1 Heading
## Level 2 Heading
### Level 3 Heading
#### Level 4 Heading
##### Level 5 Heading
###### Level 6 Heading

Result:

#Level 1 Heading

#Level 2 Heading

#Level 3 Heading

#Level 4 Heading

#Level 5 Heading

#Level 6 Heading

#Text Styling

#Bold

Use ** or __ to surround text:

**This is bold text**
__This is also bold text__

Result: This is bold text

#Italic

Use * or _ to surround text:

*This is italic text*
_This is also italic text_

Result: This is italic text

#Bold and Italic

Use *** or ___ to surround text:

***This is bold and italic text***
___This is also bold and italic text___

Result: This is bold and italic text

#Strikethrough

Use ~~ to surround text:

~~This is strikethrough text~~

Result: This is strikethrough text

#Lists

#Unordered Lists

Use -, +, or * to create:

- Item one
- Item two
- Item three

Result:

• Item one
• Item two
• Item three

#Ordered Lists

Use numbers followed by . to create:

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

Result:

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

#Nested Lists

Use indentation to create nesting:

- Main item
  - Sub-item 1
  - Sub-item 2
    - Sub-sub-item

Result:

• Main item
  • Sub-item 1
  • Sub-item 2
    • Sub-sub-item

#Links

#Inline Links

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Title shown on hover")

Result: Link text

#Reference Links

[Link text][ref]

[ref]: https://example.com "Optional title"

#Automatic Links

<https://example.com>
<email@example.com>

Result: https://example.com

#Images

#Basic Syntax

![Alt text](Image URL)
![Image with title](Image URL "Image title")

#Reference-style Images

![Alt text][img-ref]

[img-ref]: Image URL "Optional title"

#Blockquotes

Use > to create blockquotes:

> This is a blockquote.
> It can have multiple lines.

Result:

This is a blockquote. It can have multiple lines.

#Nested Blockquotes

> First level quote
>> Second level quote
>>> Third level quote

Result:

First level quote

Second level quote

Third level quote

#Code

#Inline Code

Use backticks ` to surround:

This is an `inline code` example.

Result: This is an inline code example.

#Code Blocks

Use three backticks ``` to create:

This is a code block Can have multiple lines

#Code Blocks with Syntax Highlighting

```python

def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")

**Result:**

```python
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")

#Horizontal Rules

Use three or more -, *, or _:

---
***
___

Result:

#Tables

Use | and - to create tables:

| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Content 1 | Content 2 | Content 3 |
| Content 4 | Content 5 | Content 6 |

Result:

#Alignment

| Left-aligned | Center-aligned | Right-aligned |
|:------------|:--------------:|--------------:|
| Left | Center | Right |

Result:

#Escaping Characters

Use backslash \ to escape special characters:

\* This is not italic \*
\# This is not a heading

Result: * This is not italic *

#Characters That Need Escaping

\   Backslash
`   Backtick
*   Asterisk
_   Underscore
{}  Curly braces
[]  Square brackets
()  Parentheses
#   Hash mark
+   Plus sign
-   Hyphen
.   Period
!   Exclamation mark

#Task Lists

Use - [ ] and - [x] to create:

- [x] Completed task
- [ ] Incomplete task
- [ ] Another task

Result:

• Completed task
• Incomplete task
• Another task

#Footnotes

This is some text[^1].

[^1]: This is the footnote content.

#HTML Tags

Markdown supports inline HTML:

<div style="color: red;">
This is red text
</div>

<kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>C</kbd>

Result:

Ctrl + C

#Common HTML Tags

#Text Color

<span style="color: red;">Red text</span>
<span style="color: blue;">Blue text</span>

#Text Alignment

<center>Centered text</center>
<div align="right">Right-aligned text</div>

#Superscript and Subscript

H<sub>2</sub>O
X<sup>2</sup>

Result: H₂O, X²

#Comments

Comments in Markdown are not displayed:

<!-- This is a comment and will not be shown on the page -->

#Quick Reference Table

#Practice Exercise

Try creating a document with the following elements:

1. A level 1 heading
2. An introduction paragraph (including bold and italic)
3. An unordered list
4. An ordered list
5. A blockquote
6. A code block
7. A link
8. A table

#Summary

This chapter introduced Markdown's basic syntax, including:

• Headings and paragraphs
• Text formatting (bold, italic, strikethrough)
• Lists (ordered, unordered, nested)
• Links and images
• Blockquotes and code
• Tables and horizontal rules

After mastering these basic syntax elements, you can start using Markdown for daily writing. Next, we will dive deeper into each syntax's detailed usage.

Next: Learn more about Markdown Headings.