Markdown Basic Syntax

Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. Its core design philosophy is: readability, no matter what, is paramount. A document written in Markdown should be publishable as-is, in plain text, without looking like it’s been marked up with tags or formatting instructions. It allows people to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, which then converts to valid XHTML (or HTML).

Unlike complex word processors like Microsoft Word, Markdown doesn't pollute your text with complicated formatting codes. This means your content is "future-proof"—you can still open and read it without any issues even decades later. This simplicity also makes Markdown documents extremely easy to version control (e.g., using Git) and collaborate on across different platforms.

Due to its simplicity, efficiency, and ease of reading and writing, Markdown has been widely adopted by millions of developers and writers worldwide. You can see it almost everywhere:

• Software Development: Writing README files, issues, and pull request comments on platforms like GitHub and GitLab.
• Content Creation: Many blogging platforms, static site generators (like Hugo, Jekyll), and note-taking apps (like Obsidian, Typora) are built around Markdown.
• Academic Writing: Researchers use it to write papers and reports, easily converting them to PDF or HTML.
• Team Collaboration: Quickly formatting messages in tools like Slack and Discord.

Don't be intimidated by the terms "markup" or "language." Markdown's syntax is very intuitive, with fewer than ten commonly used symbols. You don't need to memorize complex commands; with just a few simple symbols, you can easily add structure and style to your text. For daily notes and writing, this is more than enough, and you can master it in less than half an hour.

It is these few markup symbols that allow you to break free from reliance on formatting tools and focus entirely on the content creation itself, achieving a state of "clear mind, divine writing."

Ready to get started? You can try out the Online Markdown Editor right here to experience its charm.

Next, let's start with the most commonly used Markdown Heading Syntax and officially begin our learning journey.