匹夫有责

匹夫有責
pǐfūyǒuzé
idiom #78,058

Meanings

  1. 1 every ordinary person bears a share of responsibility
  2. 2 everyone has a duty

Examples

Guójiā xīngwáng, pǐfū yǒu zé.
The rise and fall of the nation is every citizen's responsibility.
Huánjìng bǎohù, pǐfū yǒu zé, bùnéng zhǐ kào zhèngfǔ.
Environmental protection is everyone's responsibility — it can't be left to the government alone.
Miànduì zhè zhǒng bùgōng, pǐfū yǒu zé, bùnéng shì'érbùjiàn.
Faced with such injustice, every ordinary person has a duty — we can't just look away.

Tips

history
From Ming-Qing scholar Gu Yanwu's 《·》: 'the preservation of all-under-heaven — even the humblest commoner bears a share of responsibility (天下).' Usually quoted as the set phrase 天下匹夫有责.
usage
Almost always appears in the pattern [X],匹夫有责 — the first clause naming the cause (国家, 环保, 救灾) that everyone shares responsibility for.

Stroke Order

yǒu