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sharp-writing

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Original

English
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Translation

Chinese

Sharp Writing

精准写作

Write sharp text: every word counts. These rules cover all prose and Markdown.
撰写精准文本：字字珠玑。以下规则适用于所有散文及Markdown文本。

Editing means rewriting

编辑即重写

Work new content into the existing sentences; append only when none can carry it. A good edit leaves the text as short as before, or shorter.
将新内容融入现有语句；只有当现有语句无法承载时，才进行补充。优秀的编辑应让文本保持原长，或更简短。

Find the essence first

先提炼核心

Before writing anything, find the essence of the idea. State the essence. State it well.
动笔前，先提炼想法的核心。清晰、准确地阐述核心内容。

Principles

原则

  • Sharp, precise, concise. Straight to the point. The less, the better.
  • Easy language. Keep sentences short and clear.
  • Don't pad. No bloated orders, no filler.
  • Respect the reader. No insistent or authoritarian tone; don't treat them like a child. Make what is important more obvious instead.
  • Keep a formal register.
  • 精准、明确、简洁。开门见山，越少越好。
  • 语言通俗易懂。句子简短清晰。
  • 避免冗余。不使用冗长表述，不添加填充内容。
  • 尊重读者。避免强硬或命令式语气；勿将读者视为孩童。应突出重点内容。
  • 采用正式语体。

Keep a formal register

采用正式语体

Stay professional, without stiffness. Write complete sentences; don't clip the opening. Use proper vocabulary: the precise word, even an elaborate one. Technical terms are fine when exact; slang and casual jargon are not. No emoticons.
保持专业，但不失灵活。使用完整句子；不要省略开头。选用恰当词汇：精准的用词，哪怕是复杂词汇也无妨。技术术语在表意准确时可以使用；但禁用俚语和非正式行话。不使用表情符号。

Structure text like code

像编写代码一样组织文本

Good text is like good code:
  • Avoid repeating or duplicating.
  • Refactor text as you refactor code, so every idea is well-organized and clear.
One idea, one sentence. One concern, one paragraph. When a concern needs several paragraphs, give it a section title; split a complex idea into sub-ideas the same way. Never pack several ideas into one sentence, or several concerns into one paragraph. A sentence that chains clauses with colons and dashes is packing — split it.
Show the direct path, not your detours. Writing is like climbing an uncharted mountain: you wander and backtrack to find the way, then from the summit you see the straight route. Write that route. Readers want the direct path, not the search that found it.
优质文本如同优质代码：
  • 避免重复或冗余。
  • 像重构代码一样重构文本，让每个观点都条理清晰、易于理解。
一个观点对应一个句子。一个主题对应一个段落。当某个主题需要多个段落阐述时，为其添加章节标题；将复杂观点拆分为子观点，以此类推。切勿在一个句子中堆砌多个观点，或在一个段落中涵盖多个主题。用冒号和破折号串联多个分句的句子属于堆砌，应拆分。
呈现直达目标的路径，而非你的探索过程。写作如同攀登未知山峰：你会徘徊、折返以寻找路径，但登顶后你会看到直达的路线。就写这条路线。读者需要的是直达路径，而非寻找路径的过程。

Prefer positive phrasing

优先使用肯定表述

Say what is, not what is not. A negation forces the reader to invert; a double negation forces two inversions.
说明事物是什么，而非不是什么。否定表述会迫使读者进行反向思考；双重否定则需要两次反向思考。

Cut the negated echo

删除否定式重复

A common reflex: affirm, then restate the same idea negated — "X is A, not B", where B is merely the absence of A. Cut the negated half.
常见的冗余写法：先肯定，再用否定方式重述同一观点——即“X是A，不是B”，其中B只是A的对立面。删除否定的后半部分。

Stop at the last fact

止于最后一个事实

End when the information ends. Don't close with a sentence that restates the point, draws a moral, or justifies what you just wrote. Before keeping a final sentence, check it carries a new fact or instruction. If it only emphasizes, concludes, or reassures, cut it.
信息讲完即止。不要用重述观点、总结寓意或为内容辩护的句子结尾。保留最后一句话前，请确认它包含新的事实或指令。如果仅用于强调、总结或安抚，就删掉它。

Add an example only when needed

仅在必要时添加示例

Add an example only when the rule is hard to grasp without one. Prose that stands on its own needs none.
When you add one, invent a neutral case.
只有当规则无示例难以理解时，才添加示例。表意清晰的文本无需示例。
添加示例时，使用中立场景。

Markdown

Markdown规范

Don't wrap text to 80 characters. Let lines run freely.
不要将文本换行至80字符。让文本自然换行。

Em-dash: the one audience difference

破折号：受众差异的核心体现

The em-dash (
—
) is the main style difference between the two audiences.
  • For humans: use the em-dash only as a visual separator.
  • For AI agents: the em-dash is also fine inside prose. Except that a precise, to-the-point sentence rarely needs one.
Valid for both, as a visual separator:
  • key1
    — description 1
  • key2
    — description 2
Valid only for AI agents, inside a sentence:
State the main idea — then add a caveat after the dash.
破折号（
—
）是两类受众之间的主要风格差异。
  • 面向人类读者：仅将破折号用作视觉分隔符。
  • 面向AI Agent：破折号也可用于散文内部。但精准、直击要点的句子很少需要使用破折号。
以下用法对两类受众均适用，作为视觉分隔符：
  • key1
    — description 1
  • key2
    — description 2
以下用法仅适用于AI Agent，用于句子内部：
State the main idea — then add a caveat after the dash.

Reread and rework

重读与修改

Text written in a file is not final. Reread it, then edit freely: rework, correct, tighten.
写入文件的文本并非终稿。重读文本，然后自由编辑：修改、校正、精简。