tā dúchàng de shíhou búyòng yuánchàng.

独唱 literally means to sing solo or solo singing.

In this sentence, it functions like a verb:

• 她独唱的时候 = when she sings solo

Chinese words often have flexible word classes, so 独唱 can also be a noun in other contexts:

• 这是她的独唱。 = This is her solo.

So here, the most natural understanding is verbal: she performs alone / she sings solo.

的时候 means when, at the time when, or during the time when.

It turns the phrase before it into a time expression:

• 她独唱的时候 = when she sings solo
• more literally: at the time that she sings solo

This is a very common pattern in Mandarin:

verb phrase + 的时候

Examples:

• 我吃饭的时候 = when I eat / while I’m eating
• 你来的时候 = when you came / when you come

In this pattern, 的 links the action to 时候.

So:

• 独唱 = sing solo
• 独唱的时候 = the time when someone sings solo

You can think of 的时候 as a fixed grammar pattern after a verb phrase.

A rough structural breakdown is:

• 她独唱 = she sings solo
• 她独唱的时候 = the time when she sings solo / when she sings solo

English learners often want to translate 的 directly, but here it is better to think of it as part of the structure rather than as a separate word with a neat one-word English equivalent.

不用 means do not need to use or do not use.

In this sentence, 不用原唱 means something like:

• doesn’t use the original singing/original singer
• or doesn’t need the original version

Why not 没用?

Because 没用 usually means didn’t use in the past, or as an adjective it can mean useless.

Compare:

• 不用原唱 = does not use / does not need to use the original version
• 没用原唱 = did not use the original version

So 不用 fits better if the sentence is describing a general habit, rule, or usual practice.

原唱 literally means original singing, but in real usage it often refers to:

• the original singer
• the original recorded vocal
• the original version of a song, depending on context

That means the sentence can feel a little context-dependent.

For example, in music or karaoke contexts, 不用原唱 may mean:

• she doesn’t use the original vocalist’s track
• she doesn’t rely on the original version
• she doesn’t have the original singer included

So even though the dictionary meaning seems simple, the exact English translation depends on the situation.

The structure is:

她 / 独唱的时候 / 不用 / 原唱

Breaking it down:

• 她 = she
• 独唱的时候 = when singing solo / when she sings solo
• 不用 = does not use / does not need
• 原唱 = the original singer/original vocal/original version

So the sentence pattern is basically:

subject + time expression + verb + object

This is very common in Chinese. Time expressions usually come before the main verb.

Compare:

• 我明天去。 = I’m going tomorrow.
• 她独唱的时候不用原唱。 = When she sings solo, she doesn’t use the original version/singer.

Yes, it can.

Because 独唱 can be understood as either:

• the act of singing solo, or
• a solo performance

So 她独唱的时候 may be interpreted as:

• when she sings solo
• during her solo

In many cases, the difference is small and the context decides which English wording sounds best.

This is because of a common tone change rule.

Normally, 不 is fourth tone: bù.

But when 不 comes before another fourth-tone syllable, it changes to second tone:

• 不 + 用
• 用 is fourth tone: yòng
• so 不 becomes bú

That is why the pinyin is búyòng, not bùyòng.

More examples:

• 不是 → búshì
• 不要 → búyào

In normal speech, the second syllable of 时候 is usually pronounced with a neutral tone:

• shíhou

So although 后/後 by itself is normally fourth tone (hòu), in the word 时候 it is commonly neutralized.

This is very common in everyday Mandarin:

• 时候 → shíhou
• 东西 → dōngxi
• 朋友 → péngyou

A learner should recognize the dictionary source, but pronounce the whole word naturally as shíhou.

Yes, in many cases it can.

For example:

• 她独唱的时候不用原唱。
• 她独唱时不用原唱。

Both are grammatical.

Difference:

• 的时候 sounds more common and conversational
• 时 sounds shorter, more written, more formal, or more concise

So beginners will usually hear and use 的时候 more often in speech.

It most naturally sounds like a general habit or usual practice.

That is mainly because of:

• 的时候 = when/whenever
• 不用 = does not use / doesn’t need to use

So the sentence suggests something like:

• Whenever she sings solo, she doesn’t use the original version
• When she performs solo, she doesn’t rely on the original singer/vocals

If you wanted to make it clearly about a specific past event, Chinese would usually give more context or use other forms, such as:

• 她独唱的时候没用原唱。 = When she sang solo, she didn’t use the original vocals/version.

Yes, in the right context, Chinese often omits subjects if they are already clear.

For example, after you are already talking about her, you might simply say:

• 独唱的时候不用原唱。

This would still be understood as:

• When she sings solo, she doesn’t use the original version/singer

Chinese often leaves out information that English normally repeats. But if the subject is not obvious, keeping 她 makes the sentence clearer.

It can suggest either, depending on context.

不用 often has both meanings:

1. do not use
2. do not need to use

So 不用原唱 could mean:

• she doesn’t use the original vocal/singer
• she doesn’t need to use the original vocal/singer

In many real-life situations, both ideas overlap. If she can sing independently, then she both doesn’t use and doesn’t need the original.

If a speaker wanted to make need especially clear, they might add more context. But as written, 不用 naturally allows both shades of meaning.