Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā duì zhōngguó wénhuà hěn yǒu xìngqù, suǒyǐ tā de jìhuà shì měitiān huā yí gè xiǎoshí tígāo zìjǐ de zhōngwén shuǐpíng. - She is very interested in Chinese culture, so her plan is to spend an hour every day improving her Chinese level.

In Chinese, when an adjective (or certain stative verbs like 有兴趣) is used as a predicate, speakers often add a degree word such as 很、非常、挺 to make the sentence sound natural and to avoid a “definition-like” feel.

Compare:

她有兴趣。 – grammatically OK, but feels a bit abrupt or incomplete in conversation.
她很有兴趣。 – smoother, more natural.

So 很 can express real emphasis, but in many everyday contexts it just makes the predicate sound normal and not too bare.

What’s the difference between 有兴趣, 喜欢, and 爱好?

All can relate to “liking” something, but they’re used differently:

有兴趣 – “to have interest (in)”
- Structure: 对 + thing + 有兴趣
- Slightly formal/neutral, good for talking about topics, fields, or areas of study.
- Example: 我对历史很有兴趣。 – I’m really interested in history.
喜欢 – “to like”
- Structure: 喜欢 + thing
- Very common in spoken Chinese, works for people, objects, activities, etc.
- Example: 我喜欢中国文化。 – I like Chinese culture.
爱好 – usually a noun, “hobby”
- Structure: (sb.) 的爱好是 + activity
- Example: 我的爱好是看书。 – My hobby is reading.
- As a verb (爱好) is rare in modern everyday speech.

So:

她对中国文化很有兴趣。 – slightly more formal or “topic-focused.”
她很喜欢中国文化。 – more casual, emotional “she really likes Chinese culture.”

What is the function of 是 in 她的计划是每天花一个小时…? Could we omit 是?

Here 是 is the copula “to be,” linking 她的计划 (“her plan”) with a clause describing what that plan is:

她的计划是 + 每天花一个小时提高自己的中文水平。
“Her plan is (to) spend an hour every day improving her Chinese.”

This is a noun + 是 + explanation pattern:

我的目标是学好中文。 – My goal is to learn Chinese well.
他的梦想是当医生。 – His dream is to become a doctor.

Can we omit 是?

In this exact structure, you normally keep 是.
Without 是, it would sound incomplete: ✗ 她的计划每天花一个小时… is not natural.

You could, however, rephrase:

所以她计划每天花一个小时提高自己的中文水平。
(Here 计划 is used as a verb, so you don’t need 是.)

Why does the sentence use 自己 in 提高自己的中文水平 instead of just 她的中文水平?

自己 means “self” and refers back to the subject of the clause, here 她.

提高自己的中文水平 – “improve her own Chinese level.”

You could say:

提高她的中文水平 – “improve her Chinese level.”

Both are grammatically correct. The difference:

自己 emphasizes that she is improving her own Chinese, not someone else’s.
When the subject is 她, 自己 is a natural and common way to refer back to her.

In many contexts, 她的中文水平 and 自己的中文水平 would be understood the same way, but 自己 feels a bit more reflexive and “self-focused.”

What’s the difference between 中文 and 汉语? Why does this sentence use 中文?

Both can refer to the Chinese language, but there are nuances:

汉语
- Literally “the language of the Han people.”
- Slightly more formal, often used in linguistic or academic contexts.
- Very common in Mainland textbooks: 汉语语法, 汉语课.
中文
- Literally “Chinese written language” (but in practice also spoken).
- Very common in everyday speech, especially in phrases like 学中文, 中文水平, 中文课.
- Can sometimes mean “Chinese as a language overall,” including written and spoken forms.

In 自己的中文水平, 中文 sounds very natural and colloquial for “Chinese (language) level.”
You could also say 汉语水平; that’s also common, especially in more formal or test-related contexts (e.g., 汉语水平考试 HSK).

What exactly does 水平 mean in 中文水平?

水平 literally means “level” or “standard.”

In language learning:

中文水平 / 汉语水平 = “Chinese level,” i.e., how good your Chinese is.

Examples:

他的英文水平很高。 – His English level is very high.
我的口语水平一般。 – My speaking level is average.
提高中文水平 – to improve one’s Chinese level.

So 提高自己的中文水平 is “to raise/improve her own level of Chinese.”

Can 花 be used with time as well as money? How does 每天花一个小时… work?

Yes, 花 means “to spend,” and it can be used with:

money: 花钱 – spend money
time: 花时间 – spend time

Pattern:

花 + time/money + (来) + do something

In this sentence:

每天花一个小时提高自己的中文水平
“(She) spends one hour every day improving her Chinese.”

You can think of it as:

每天 – every day
花一个小时 – spend one hour
提高自己的中文水平 – on improving her Chinese.

You could also say:

每天花一个小时来提高自己的中文水平。

Adding 来 is optional here and just makes the purpose relationship (“in order to”) slightly more explicit.

Why 一个小时 and not just 一小时? What is 个 doing here?

小时 is a measure word for “hour,” but in spoken Chinese people very often insert 个 before it:

一个小时 – one hour
两个小时 – two hours

Both:

一小时
一个小时

are grammatically correct. The differences:

一个小时 is more common in everyday speech and feels more natural.
一小时 can sound a bit more concise or slightly formal, often seen in writing or more compact expressions.

So 每天花一个小时… is a very natural spoken and written choice.

Where can 每天 go in the sentence? Is 每天花一个小时… the only option?

每天 is a time word and can appear in a few different places in Chinese sentences. Common placements:

Before the verb phrase (very common):
- 她的计划是每天花一个小时提高自己的中文水平。
- “Her plan is to every day spend one hour improving her Chinese.”
At the very beginning (also common):
- 每天，她花一个小时提高自己的中文水平。
After the subject, before the main verb:
- 她每天花一个小时提高自己的中文水平。

All of these are acceptable; the choice affects rhythm and slight emphasis, but not the core meaning.

In the given sentence, since 她的计划是…, it’s natural to place 每天 directly before 花一个小时 to clearly show what the plan is: to (every day) spend an hour doing something.

Why is 她 repeated in 她对中国文化… 所以她的计划是…? Could we drop the second 她?

Chinese often drops repeated subjects when they’re clear from context. So you could say:

她对中国文化很有兴趣，所以她的计划是每天花一个小时提高自己的中文水平。
她对中国文化很有兴趣，所以计划是每天花一个小时提高自己的中文水平。

Both are possible.

Differences:

With 她的计划: explicitly “her plan is…” – slightly clearer and a bit more formal/complete.
With just 计划: more concise; context makes clear whose plan it is.

In writing, keeping 她的计划 feels nicely explicit; in spoken Chinese, people might often shorten it to 所以她计划每天花一个小时… (using 计划 as a verb) or 所以她每天花一个小时….

Are there any tone changes in this sentence, like the 一 in 一个小时?

Yes. The main one you can see is with 一.

Pronunciation rules:

一 is normally yī (first tone).
Before a fourth-tone syllable, it usually changes to yí (second tone).
Before a first, second, or third tone syllable, in counting contexts it can change to yì (fourth tone), though in practice speakers are not always strict.

In 一个小时:

个 (gè) is fourth tone,
so 一 becomes yí:

一个小时 – yí gè xiǎoshí

Another common tone-change in Chinese (though not directly visible here) is when two third tones occur in a row; the first one becomes a second tone. For example, 很好 (hěn hǎo) is pronounced hén hǎo. In 很有兴趣, 有 (yǒu) is third tone, but 兴 (xìng) is fourth tone, so no third‑tone sandhi pair here.

What’s the difference between 计划, 打算, and 安排?

All relate to planning, but their usage differs:

计划
- Noun: plan
  - 她的计划是每天花一个小时学习中文。
- Verb: to plan (often more formal or long-term)
  - 我计划明年去中国。
打算
- Verb / mental plan, intention
- More colloquial and subjective, like “intend to” or “be thinking of”:
  - 我打算这个周末休息。 – I plan/intend to rest this weekend.
安排
- Noun or verb; about arranging/scheduling concrete things (times, tasks, people)
- 安排时间, 安排会议, 旅行安排.

In this sentence:

她的计划是每天花一个小时提高自己的中文水平。

计划 is used as a noun meaning “plan.”
You could rephrase with 打算 as a verb:

所以她打算每天花一个小时提高自己的中文水平。
(So she plans/intends to spend an hour every day improving her Chinese.)

What is the nuance of 提高 here? How is it different from 学习 or 进步?

提高 (verb): to raise, to improve (something)
- Often takes an object: 提高水平, 提高能力, 提高成绩.
- Transitive sense: you actively work to make something better.
学习 (verb): to study, to learn
- Focus on the process of studying: 学习中文, 学习语法.
- Doesn’t explicitly say you have improved.
进步 (verb or noun): to make progress, progress
- Intransitive verb: 中文进步了。 – “(My) Chinese has improved.”
- Noun: 有很大进步。

So:

提高自己的中文水平 – emphasizes raising one’s level (result).
学习中文 – emphasizes the process of studying Chinese.
中文进步了 – emphasizes that progress has occurred, without specifying the agent or method.

In this sentence, 提高自己的中文水平 nicely matches the idea of a purposeful plan to improve her level, not just to “study.”