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Punctuation in Russian, like in Chinese and other languages, is one of the important components of written language. If the punctuation is used incorrectly, the meaning of the sentence can be completely opposite. For example: Помиловать нельзя, повесить. It cannot be forgiven; it must be hanged. Pardon, not hang. One should forgive, not execute by hanging. The punctuation system in Russian is quite similar to that in Chinese. But people tend to notice only its similarities and overlook its differences. Therefore, misuse of punctuation often occurs when writing or translating. First, some of the differences between these two systems are briefly outlined below: 1. The full stop in Chinese is “。” ”In Russian, the period is “.” For example: Мы изучаем русский язык. We are learning Russian. II. Among elements with identical components, if no conjunction is used, Chinese employs the comma “、”, while Russian uses the comma “,”. For example: People worked quietly, swiftly, and silently. They worked in peace, smoothly, and in silence. There was food on the table: bread, meat, salt, vegetables. Food was placed on the table: bread, meat, salt, and vegetables. In the clubs, on the streets, in the parks – there were many people everywhere today. Today, there were lots of people in the clubs, on the streets, and in the parks. Among elements with the same category, Chinese can also use the “,” symbol. For example: Birds can be found everywhere: in gardens, vegetable plots, threshing grounds, and on the streets. 3. After the salutation in a letter, Russian often uses a comma, exclamation mark, or period, whereas Chinese usually uses a colon. It should be noted that in Russian, if a comma is used after the salutation, the main body of the letter should start with lowercase letters; if an exclamation mark is used after the salutation, then the main body constitutes a separate sentence and should start with uppercase letters. Compare the beginnings of the two letters written by the writer Feoktistov to Gorky – different punctuation marks are used here: 1. Дорогой Алексей Максимович, только что распечатал ваше письмо и — как всегда,когда прикасаюсь к чему-нибудь связанному с вами, — разволновался… Dear Alexey Maximovich, I have just read your letter, and as usual, whenever I come across something related to you, I become very excited…. 2. Дорогой Алексей Максимович! I am writing to you because my attempts to see you in these last days have been unsuccessful, and also because I heard that you are leaving for Moscow again. Dear Alexey Markosimovich! I am writing to you because my wish to meet you in the near future has not been fulfilled, as I heard that you are going to Moscow again. As can be seen from N. Formanovskaya’s book *Etiquette of the Russian Letter*, in recent years an exclamation mark has been used more frequently after the salutation in letters. Additionally, in letters, to show respect for the recipient, the first letter of the word Вы (used to address “you”) should be capitalized; for example: Многоуважаемый Пётр Николаевич! I wish you a happy New Year and hope that you may enjoy complete well-being and good health…… Dear Peter Nikolaevich, I would like to congratulate you on the New Year and wish you happiness and health…… In Chinese, the ellipsis is represented by “……”, while in Russian it is represented by “…”. For example: The forest kept singing its melancholic song, with thunder rumbling and rain pouring down…… The forest was constantly singing that sad song, with thunderous noises and heavy rainfall…… Fifthly, in Chinese, quotes are marked as “ “××” or ‘××’, while in Russian they are marked as “《××》” or “，，××”. For example: V.I. Lenin said that “Language is the most important means of human communication.” V.I. Lenin firmly stated that “Language is the most crucial tool for human interaction.” ” The author of the article states that “works such as ‘War and Peace’ have made it into the golden treasury of world literature.” The author goes on to say: “The treasure house of world literature includes works like ‘War and Peace’.” ” It is particularly worth noting that Russian quotation marks are exactly the same as the book title marks in Chinese; in Chinese, “《 》” are used only for the titles of books and publications. For example: Reader’s Digest, Harvest, The Complete Works of Lenin, Russian Linguistics*. VI. In Russian, compound sentences can be connected by colons or dashes between the main clause and the subordinate clauses; in Chinese, commas are generally used to represent this connection. For example: It’s already six o’clock: time to get up. It’s six now; it’s time to rise. My advice is this: talk to the students. I suggest that you should have a conversation with your classmates. If you want to be healthy, exercise. To maintain good health, it is necessary to engage in physical activity. Fighting alone cannot change one’s life. Struggling on one’s own won’t alter reality. VII. Decimal point: a comma is used in Russian, while a small dot is used in Chinese. For example: The number of workers decreases by 3.4 times, yet the tasks are completed ahead of schedule. The workforce is reduced by 70.6%, and the tasks are still finished early. The radius of the Sun is 109.1 times greater than the radius of the Earth. The Sun’s radius is 109.1 times that of the Earth. The speed of sound in water is 4.5 times greater than that in air. The velocity at which sound travels in water is 4.5 times that in air. VIII. In Russian, adjectives that describe a subject or personal pronoun, when they also modify the predicate, function as adverbs; in such cases, a comma should be used to separate them ； When translating into Chinese, its meanings as reasons, concessions, or adverbials of time should be expressed. For example: Tired, he fell silent. Because he was tired, he stopped talking. No one will come to you anymore, you angry one. When you’re angry, no one will come at all. IX. Russian names and punctuation. 1. Russian names generally consist of three parts. The order is first the given name, then the father’s name, and finally the surname. For example: Михаил Васильевич Ломоносов – when translated into Chinese, a period “.” should be added between the given name and the patronymic, as well as between the patronymic and the surname. For example: Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov. 2. When compiling a name index in books and periodicals, the surname is usually placed before the given name, while the order of the given name and patronymic remains unchanged. For example: Михаил Васильевич Ломоносов. When translating into Chinese, a comma should be added after the surname. For example: Lomonosov, Mikhail Vasilyevich. 3. When abbreviating Russian names, a period “.” should be placed at the bottom right of the abbreviated letter. For example: М. В. Ломоносов. When translating this abbreviated form into Chinese, the period “.” should be placed in the middle to the right. For example: M. V. Lomonosov, or: М · В · Ломоносов. X. Some commas in Russian are often omitted in Chinese. For example: 1. To indicate the appositive of a personal pronoun, a comma is used in Russian to make it stand alone. This comma can be omitted when translating into Chinese. For example: We, the youth, love life. We young people adore life. 2. In Russian, appositives that follow proper nouns must be separated by a comma, while in Chinese this can be omitted. For example: I recently met Ivan Petrovich, an engineer. Not long ago I encountered engineer Ivan Petrovich. A. S. Pushkin, the great Russian poet, was born in Moscow. The great Russian poet Pushkin was born in Moscow. 3. When two adverbs modify a verb, they should be separated by a comma to maintain their independence. This comma can be omitted in Chinese. For example: He entered the room, shouting and laughing. He went into the room while shouting and laughing. 4. The commas in Russian that separate adverbial clauses of purpose from adverbial clauses of manner, etc., are often omitted in Chinese. They came to study the new working method. They were there to learn the new way of working. Everything was carried out as specified in the plan. Everything was done in accordance with what the plan indicated. 5. Adverbs of time and place that indicate further modification are usually separated by commas in Russian, but not in Chinese: Однажды в воскресенье, рано утром, он ушел в огород Нины ловить снегирей. Once, on a Sunday early in the morning, he went to Nina’s garden to catch canaries. But on the fifth day, he heard her footsteps below, on the riverbank. But on the fifth day, he heard the sound of her walking on the riverbank below.