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On a complex manifold, the exterior derivative splits by type as $d=\partial +\bar{\partial }$. The conjugate Dolbeault operator $\partial$ raises holomorphic degree by one and the Dolbeault operator $\bar{\partial }$ raises antiholomorphic degree by one. Their identities areUse the convention $d^c=i(\bar{\partial }-\partial )$ for the d c operator; then $d{d}^c=2i\partial \bar{\partial }$. The alternative convention with a factor $1/2$ changes this last factor only. Complex conjugation of differential-form type interchanges $\partial$ and $\bar{\partial }$ without reversing the wedge order. Thus, for a real form $\eta$,The resulting form is real, independently of the degree or type components of $\eta$.

The Dolbeault cohomology isIn degree $(0,0)$ there is no incoming image, and the kernel consists of global holomorphic functions. On a compact connected $X$, $|f|$ attains a maximum. In a coordinate polydisc around a maximizing point, the one-variable maximum modulus principle applied successively along the coordinate directions makes $f$ constant on a smaller polydisc. Alternatively the same argument shows the maximum set is open; it is closed and nonempty, so connectedness makes it all of $X$, and the local constancy then makes $f$ globally constant. Consequently

A holomorphic p-form on a complex manifold is a form of type $(p,0)$ with holomorphic coordinate coefficients, equivalently one killed by $\bar{\partial }$. For degree $n={\dim }_{\mathbb{C}}X$, it is $d$-closed: its $\bar{\partial }$ vanishes by holomorphicity and its $\partial$ has impossible bidegree $(n+1,0)$. Its conjugate is also closed.

The key positivity behind nonzero holomorphic top forms are not exact is explicit. If $\alpha =fd{z}_1\wedge \cdots \wedge d{z}_n$, complex orientation givesThis is nonnegative everywhere and positive on some open set when $\alpha \not\equiv 0$, so its integral on the compact manifold is strictly positive. If $\alpha =d\gamma$, closedness of $\bar{\alpha }$ and the Stokes theorem would giveHere Stokes is used on a compact oriented manifold without boundary, and complex-valued forms are handled by linearity. The contradiction proves a nonzero holomorphic top form is not $d$-exact. For dimension zero the same nonexactness follows directly from the absence of degree $-1$ forms.

Now take a compact complex surface, with no Kähler metric assumed. For a holomorphic one-form $\alpha$, the form $\beta =d\alpha =\partial \alpha$ has type $(2,0)$ and is holomorphic, since $\bar{\partial }\partial \alpha =-\partial \bar{\partial }\alpha =0$. It is exact. The top-form result forces $\beta =0$, proving closedness. This establishes holomorphic forms on a compact complex surface are closed by an argument which does not require a Kähler identity.

If a holomorphic one-form were exact, write $\alpha =df$ for a global smooth complex function. Comparing types gives $\bar{\partial }f=0$. The preceding compactness argument makes $f$ constant on every connected component, hence $\alpha =0$. Holomorphic two-forms are closed and nonexact unless zero by the top-form result. Holomorphic zero-forms are constant on each component, and a nonzero zero-form is never exact because there are no negative-degree forms. Degrees above two contain only zero forms. Therefore every holomorphic form on a compact complex surface is closed, and a nonzero one is never exact.