‘句逗’ (jù dòu) is a classical Chinese term referring to punctuation marks—especially the basic sentence-ending and pausing marks used in pre-modern texts. It combines 句 (jù), meaning ‘sentence’ or ‘clause’, and 逗 (dòu), meaning ‘pause’ or ‘break’. Historically, it denoted the two primary types of stops in classical writing: the full stop (句) and the medial pause (逗), analogous to modern periods and commas. Though largely replaced by standardized punctuation in contemporary Chinese, 句逗 still appears in scholarly discussions of classical literature, paleography, and textual criticism.

Today, 句逗 is rarely used in everyday speech or writing; instead, modern learners encounter it mainly when studying ancient texts, calligraphy inscriptions, or traditional editorial practices. Its variant spelling 句读 (jù dòu) is more common in academic contexts, but both forms share identical pronunciation and meaning. Understanding 句逗 helps learners appreciate how early Chinese readers interpreted unpunctuated classical texts through oral recitation and contextual parsing.