Chinese courses in applied colleges and universities, different from the Chinese courses in higher vocational education and general undergraduate education, highlight the word “application” in teaching activities, dialectically and inclusively look at the relationship between “application” and “academic,” which can provide targeted support for the training of applied talents in higher technology. In the perspective of vocational core quality education, the reform of applied college Chinese curriculum should be carried out to further strengthen the connection between talent training and industry development needs, which is in line with the talent training orientation of applied colleges and universities and the talent needs of industry transformation and upgrading. Therefore, this paper first analyzes the specific content of the vocational core literacy of students in applied colleges and universities, and then proposes feasible course reform strategies based on the author’s practical experience.