Learn Hardcore Chinese: Lǎoshī shuō, zhè gè xiǎozǔ de měi gè rén dōu yào wèi zìjǐ de bùfen fùzé. - The teacher said that everyone in this group must be responsible for their own part.

…but it sounds a bit less natural and less complete. 每…都… is a very common fixed pattern, especially in written or careful speech. Learners are generally safe to treat 每…都… as a “package.”

Why is 个 used twice, in 这个 and 每个人?

Chinese needs a measure word (classifier) between a demonstrative/number and a noun.

这 + 个 + 小组
- 这 = “this”
- 个 = general measure word
- 小组 = group
  → 这个小组 = “this group”
每 + 个 + 人
- 每 = “every/each”
- 个 = measure word
- 人 = person
  → 每个人 = “everyone / every person”

In English you say “this group” and “every person” without an extra word. In Chinese, 个 is needed as the measure word in both places:

这个小组
每个人

What does 的 do in 小组的 and 自己的部分?

的 is mainly a linking word that turns something into a modifier for a noun. Commonly it marks:

Possession / belonging
- 这个小组的每个人
- literally: this group *de every person
  → “every person *of this group / everyone in this group”
“Of” / “one’s own”
- 自己的部分
- 自己 = self / oneself
- 自己的 = “one’s own”
- 部分 = part
  → 自己的部分 = “(one’s) own part”

So in this sentence:

小组的 = “of the group”
自己的 = “one’s own (something)”

Why is there no word for “that” after “老师说”? In English we say “The teacher said that every person…”.

Chinese usually doesn’t need an explicit word for English “that” as a conjunction.

Structure:

老师说，这个小组的每个人都要为自己的部分负责。
- literally: The teacher said, this group’s every person…

The comma (and pause) after 说 functions where English would put “that”. So:

老师说 + clause ≈ “The teacher said (that) + clause”

You could make it into obvious direct speech with “：” and quotation marks:

老师说：“这个小组的每个人都要为自己的部分负责。”

But for indirect reported speech, no special word for “that” is required.

What exactly does 要 mean here? Is it “must”, “need to”, or “will”?

要 (yào) is a modal verb that can mean several things depending on context:

Obligation / requirement (“must / need to / have to”)
- From the teacher in this sentence:
  - 都要为自己的部分负责。
  - → “must be responsible for / are required to be responsible for”
Future intention / plan (“going to / will”)
- 明天我要去北京。 = I’m going to Beijing tomorrow.

Here, because it’s something the teacher is requiring, 要 is best understood as “must / need to”. Stronger options would be 必须 or 得, but 要 is very natural and a bit softer.

What does 都 do exactly? Could I just say “每个人要为自己的部分负责” and omit 都?

都 (dōu) means “all / both / without exception”.

With 每, the typical pattern is:

每 + (个) + noun + 都 + verb

It emphasizes that the statement applies to every single member of the group.

这个小组的每个人都要为自己的部分负责。 → Every person, all of them, must be responsible.

If you omit 都:

这个小组的每个人要为自己的部分负责。
- Still grammatical and understandable.
- May sound a bit less natural; many native speakers will still insert 都 out of habit.

So 都 isn’t absolutely mandatory, but in real usage 每…都… is extremely common and usually preferred.

What is the role of 为 in “为自己的部分负责”? Can I use 对 instead?

Here 为 is a preposition meaning roughly “for / regarding” in this fixed pattern:

为 + object + 负责 = “be responsible for [object]”

So:

为自己的部分负责
→ “be responsible for one’s own part”

There is a very similar pattern with 对:

对 + object + 负责

In many contexts, 对…负责 and 为…负责 can both mean “be responsible for / toward”:

对这件事负责
为这件事负责
→ be responsible for this matter

In this particular sentence, 为自己的部分负责 is slightly more common/natural than 对自己的部分负责, but 对 would not be “wrong”; it’s just a stylistic choice.

Is 负责 a verb or an adjective? How is it used here?

负责 (fùzé) is usually treated as a verb meaning:

“to be responsible (for something)”
“to take charge of”

It can also be used like a stative verb / adjective (“responsible”), but here it functions as the main verb of the predicate:

(这个小组的每个人) 都要为自己的部分负责。
- Subject: 这个小组的每个人
- Adverb: 都
- Modal: 要
- Prepositional phrase: 为自己的部分
- Main verb: 负责

Other examples:

他负责这个项目。= He is in charge of this project.
你要对你的选择负责。= You must be responsible for your choices.

Why do we need 自己? Could we just say “为部分负责”?

自己 (zìjǐ) means “oneself / self / own” and is a reflexive pronoun.

In this sentence:

Subject: 每个人 (each person)
自己 therefore refers to each person themself

自己的部分 means “one’s own part”, clearly linking each person to their own share of the work, not someone else’s.

If you said only:

为部分负责

it would sound incomplete/unnatural because we don’t know whose part it is. You’d almost always specify:

为自己的部分负责
为他负责的部分负责
为这部分负责

So 自己 is important to express “each for their own part” clearly.

What does 这个小组的每个人 literally mean? Why is it in that order instead of “每个人的这个小组”?

Word-for-word:

这 = this
个 = measure word
小组 = group
的 = of
每 = every
个 = measure word
人 = person

So:

这个小组的每个人 = this group’s every person
→ “every person in this group / everyone in this group”

Chinese order is generally:

[Possessor / larger group] + 的 + [member]

Compare:

学校的老师 = the school’s teachers / the teachers of the school
中国的学生 = Chinese students / the students of China
公司的每个人 = everyone in the company

So “this group” (这个小组) is the larger set, and 每个人 are members of that set, hence 这个小组的每个人.

“每个人的这个小组” would be very strange; it would sound like:

“this group of every person” (not what you mean).

Why isn’t there a plural marker like 们 on 人? In English we say “people”.

Chinese usually doesn’t mark plural on nouns in the same way English does.

人 can mean “person” or “people”, depending on context.
The plurality is often indicated by words like:
- 每 (every)
- 许多 (many)
- 几个 (several)
- 这个小组的 (of this group), etc.

Here:

每个人 already clearly means “every person / everyone”, so no extra plural marking is needed.

们 is used:

with personal pronouns: 我们 (we), 你们 (you all), 他们 (they)
sometimes with human nouns when you want to emphasize individual people as a group, often a bit stylistic/literary:
- 孩子们 = the children
- 同学们 = classmates (as an address)

But 每个人 is the standard form; 每个人们 is incorrect.

Could we say “这个小组里每个人都要为自己的部分负责”? What’s the difference with “这个小组的每个人”?

Yes, you can say:

这个小组里每个人都要为自己的部分负责。

Differences:

这个小组的每个人
- literally: “this group’s every person”
- uses 的 to show belonging.
这个小组里每个人
- literally: “inside this group, every person”
- uses 里 (“in/inside”) to show location/context.

Meaning-wise, both are “everyone in this group”. The difference is tiny and mostly stylistic. Both are very natural.

What is the difference between 小组 and words like 班 or 团队?

All can be translated as “group” or “team” in some contexts, but they differ:

小组 (xiǎozǔ)
- literally: “small group”
- often used for small working groups, e.g. discussion groups, project groups, lab groups.
班 (bān)
- “class” (school class), “shift” (work shift), “squad” (in the army)
- e.g. 三年级二班 = Grade 3, Class 2
团队 (tuánduì)
- “team” in a more general or formal sense, often for a company/team project, sports team, etc.

Here, since the context is likely a classroom group project, 小组 is the natural word for “group.”