# Unclear: paragraph after empty quoteline in quote block

**URL:** <https://talk.commonmark.org/t/unclear-paragraph-after-empty-quoteline-in-quote-block/3652>\
**Category:** Spec\
**Created:** [October 3, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/unclear-paragraph-after-empty-quoteline-in-quote-block/3652 "2020-10-03T14:29:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ruud\_Poutsma](https://cdn.commonmark.org/user_avatar/talk.commonmark.org/ruud_poutsma/32/2058_2.png) [@Ruud\_Poutsma](https://talk.commonmark.org/u/Ruud_Poutsma)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/unclear-paragraph-after-empty-quoteline-in-quote-block/3652/1 "2020-10-03T14:29:59Z")

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```auto
>
p

```

can be interpreted as “quote block then paragraph” (qbtp) or “quote block with an empty line then lazy paragraph line”. (qbqaeltlpl).

Implementations [pick one interpretation, roughly distributed 50/50](https://babelmark.github.io/?text=%3E%0Ap%0A). I suggest to have the spec pick one interpretation.

---

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**Author:** ![Crissov](https://cdn.commonmark.org/user_avatar/talk.commonmark.org/crissov/32/1455_2.png) [@Crissov](https://talk.commonmark.org/u/Crissov)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/unclear-paragraph-after-empty-quoteline-in-quote-block/3652/2 "2020-10-03T20:54:56Z")

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The spec does specify the latter interpretation, that is why all implementations tagged as Commonmark-compliant at Babelmark do use it already.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ruud\_Poutsma](https://cdn.commonmark.org/user_avatar/talk.commonmark.org/ruud_poutsma/32/2058_2.png) [@Ruud\_Poutsma](https://talk.commonmark.org/u/Ruud_Poutsma)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/unclear-paragraph-after-empty-quoteline-in-quote-block/3652/3 "2020-10-04T15:57:10Z")

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> The spec does specify the latter interpretation

where?

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**Author:** ![mity](https://cdn.commonmark.org/user_avatar/talk.commonmark.org/mity/32/1040_2.png) [@mity](https://talk.commonmark.org/u/mity)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 4:34pm UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/unclear-paragraph-after-empty-quoteline-in-quote-block/3652/4 "2020-10-04T16:34:14Z")

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> [@Crissov](#):
>
> The spec does specify the latter interpretation

No, the specification requires the former interpretation, i.e. as “quote block then paragraph” (qbtp)

cmark as C reference implementation sees it as this:

```html
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p>x</p>

```

I.e. it does not see it as a continuation line.

The behavior is in an accordance with the specification:

> [Paragraph continuation text](https://spec.commonmark.org/0.29/#paragraph-continuation-text) is text that will be parsed as part of the content of a paragraph, but does not occur at the beginning of the paragraph.

(See [CommonMark Spec](https://spec.commonmark.org/0.29/#block-quote), the last sentence of the paragraph about Laziness)

So, the specification explicitly says the continuation line cannot be the 1st line of the paragraph being continued from the block quote.

Also see [CommonMark Spec](https://spec.commonmark.org/0.29/#example-219), which confirms it.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ruud\_Poutsma](https://cdn.commonmark.org/user_avatar/talk.commonmark.org/ruud_poutsma/32/2058_2.png) [@Ruud\_Poutsma](https://talk.commonmark.org/u/Ruud_Poutsma)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/unclear-paragraph-after-empty-quoteline-in-quote-block/3652/5 "2020-10-04T18:21:44Z")

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The spec is clear, but not very clear on this. Example 219 indeed brings all clarity and I have overseen this example. Thanks for clarification from the spec and providing the missed example.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Crissov](https://cdn.commonmark.org/user_avatar/talk.commonmark.org/crissov/32/1455_2.png) [@Crissov](https://talk.commonmark.org/u/Crissov)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2020, 7:37am UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/unclear-paragraph-after-empty-quoteline-in-quote-block/3652/6 "2020-10-09T07:37:16Z")

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Yeah, I meant the _former_, the point being that all CM implementations agree.