Hexagram 13 同人 - Tóng Rén / Fellowship with Men

䷌

Trigrams

#

• Above Qián, the Creative, Heaven
• Below Lí, the Clinging, Flame

The image of the upper primary trigram, Qián, is heaven; that of the lower, Lí, is flame. It is the nature of fire to flame up to heaven. This gives the idea of fellowship. It is the second line that, through its central character, unites the five strong lines around it. This hexagram is the counterpart of Hexagram 7, The Army. There, danger is within and obedience without-the essence of a warlike army, which needs one strong line among many weak ones to hold it together. Here, clarity is within and strength without-the essence of a peaceful union of mankind, which needs one yielding line among many firm ones to maintain cohesion.

The Judgment

#

Fellowship with Men in the Open: Success. It furthers one to cross the great water. The perseverance of the superior man furthers.

True fellowship among men must rest upon a cosmic basis. It is not the private ends of the ego, but the goals of humanity that bring about enduring fellowship among men; hence it is said: “Fellowship with men in the open brings success.” When such unity prevails, even difficult and dangerous tasks, such as crossing the great water, can be accomplished. But to bring about such fellowship, a persevering and enlightened leader is needed, one who possesses clear, convincing, and inspiring goals and knows how to carry them out with strength. ¹

The Image

#

Heaven together with fire: The image of Fellowship with Men. Thus the superior man organizes the clans and distinguishes things.

Heaven has the same direction of movement as fire, yet it is distinct from it. Just as the luminous bodies in the heaven serve to organize and divide time, so human society and all things that truly belong together must be organically structured. Fellowship should not be a mere blending of individuals or a blurring of distinctions-that would be chaos, not fellowship. Instead, it requires an organized diversity to lead to true order.

The Lines

#

Nine at the beginning means:

#

Fellowship with men at the gate. No blame.

The beginning of a gathering of men should take place before the door. All are equally close to one another. No factional interests exist as yet. Thus, no mistake is made. The foundations of any union must be equally accessible to all participants. Secret agreements bring misfortune.

Six in the second place means:

#

Fellowship with men in the clan. Humiliation.

Here lies the danger of a separate faction based on personal and selfish interests. Such factions, which are exclusive and do not leave room for everyone-obliged to condemn one part of humanity in order to rally the rest-arise from base motives and therefore lead to humiliation in the long run.

Nine in the third place means:

#

He hides weapons in the thicket, He climbs the high hill in front of it. For three years he does not rise.

Here fellowship has turned into mistrust. Men distrust one another, lay secret ambushes, and seek to spy on the other from afar. One is dealing with a tough opponent who cannot be overcome in this manner. Obstacles are shown here that stand in the way of fellowship with others. One has ulterior motives oneself and seeks to take the other by surprise. But this very behavior breeds suspicion; one imagines the same trickeries in the opponent and tries to spy them out. As a result, one moves further and further away from true fellowship. The longer this lasts, the more alienated one becomes.

Nine in the fourth place means:

#

He climbs up on his wall; he cannot attack. Good fortune!

Here, reconciliation draws nearer after alienation. To be sure, there are still dividing walls upon which men stand facing each other. But the difficulties are too great. One falls into distress, and through distress, one comes to one’s senses. One cannot fight, and it is precisely upon this that good fortune rests.

Nine in the fifth place means:

#

Men bound in fellowship first weep and lament, But afterward they laugh. After great struggles they succeed in meeting.

Two people are outwardly separated but united in their hearts. They are kept apart by their positions in life. Many obstacles and inhibitions rise between them, causing them grief. But they allow no obstacle to sever their bond; they remain true to each other instead. And although overcoming these obstacles demands severe struggles, they will ultimately triumph, and then their sadness will turn to joy when they find each other.

Confucius says concerning this:

Life leads the earnest man through a complex, winding path. Often the power of its course is checked, then it goes straight again. Here an eloquent mind may pour itself out freely in words, There the heavy burden of knowledge must lock itself in silence. But where two people are at one in their inmost hearts, They break even the strength of iron or bronze. And where two people completely understand each other in their inmost hearts, Their words are sweet and strong like the fragrance of orchids.

Nine at the top means:

#

Fellowship with men in the pasture. No remorse.

The warm attachment of the heart is lacking here. One actually stands outside the fellowship with others. Yet one joins them. The fellowship does not embrace everyone, but only those living outwardly together. The pasture is the meadow outside the city. The ultimate goal of the union of mankind is not yet attained here. However, one need not reproach oneself. One joins society without separate, selfish aims.

Reference links

#

• Hexagram look-up table
• Advanced hexagram correspondence table