Heaven Fire Tongren: Confucian-Daoist Dialogue and the Investigation of Ancient Spiritual Origins from a Pre-Qin Perspective

Section 3: The Tóng in Tóng Rén—An Etymological Tracing of the Original Meaning

To deeply understand the Tóng Rén hexagram, we must undertake an etymological tracing of the character Tóng (同).

The character Tóng has rich usage in Pre-Qin texts. Although the Shuowen Jiezi was compiled by Xu Shen in the Han Dynasty (and is used here merely for linguistic reference), the lineage of meaning it reflects can be traced back to the Pre-Qin era. The Shuowen states: "Tóng, to combine and meet." Tóng means to combine (hé) or to convene (huì). The combination and meeting of people is precisely Tóng Rén.

However, in Pre-Qin texts, the connotation of Tóng is far richer than just "combine and meet."

The Discourses of the States (Guoyu, Discourse of Zheng) records the words of Elder Shi to Duke Huan of Zheng, which includes a classic discussion on "Harmony" (Hé) and "Accord" (Tóng):

"Harmony indeed generates things; Accord does not continue. To harmonize the different by means of the different is called Hé, thus it can flourish and things return to it. If you supplement the same with the same, it will eventually be discarded." (国语·郑语)

Elder Shi here explicitly distinguishes between Hé and Tóng: Hé is the调和 (adjustment/blending) of different things, from which continuous generation arises; whereas Tóng, if merely a simple accumulation of similar things, cannot develop further. This seems to create a tension with the spirit of the Tóng Rén hexagram—is the Tóng in Tóng Rén the kind of Tóng criticized by Elder Shi, or is it a Tóng that encompasses Hé$21

This question is further elaborated by Minister Yan Ying. The Zuo Zhuan (20th Year of Duke Zhao) records Yan Ying's words:

"Harmony is like a soup: water, fire, vinegar, salted meat, salt, plums, used to cook fish and meat, fanned by firewood. The chef harmonizes them, seasoning them with flavor, supplementing what is lacking, and venting what is excessive... When the noble man eats it, his heart is pacified. 'What the lord says is right, you also say right; what the lord says is wrong, you also say wrong. If you mix water with water, who can eat it$22 If you play only the zither and the lute, who can listen to it$23 The failure of Accord (Tóng) is just like this.'" (左传·昭公二十年)

Yan Ying uses cooking and music as analogies to illustrate that Hé requires the combination of different elements, whereas Tóng—if merely water mixed with water, or monotonous playing of zither and lute—lacks vitality.

So, is the Tóng spoken of in the Tóng Rén hexagram the Tóng criticized by Yan Ying and Elder Shi$24 We believe not. On the contrary, the Tóng spoken of in the Tóng Rén hexagram is precisely the higher-level Hé achieved on the basis of recognizing difference. How do we know this$25

First, by looking at the hexagram image. Tóng Rén is Qian (☰) above and Li (☲) below—Qian is Heaven, Li is Fire. Heaven and Fire are fundamentally different things—Heaven is high above, Fire blazes below. They are not a simple accumulation of like elements, but a "Accord" (Tóng) achieved because two different kinds of forces share the same upward tendency (Qian is vigorous and moves up, Li Fire blazes up). This is the Hé of "harmonizing the different by means of the different," not the Tóng of "supplementing the same with the same."

Second, by looking at the Daxiangzhuan: "The noble man thereby classifies lineages and distinguishes things." Classifying and distinguishing things requires first recognizing differences in order to seek commonality. If one does not distinguish things, one does not know their differences; if one does not classify lineages, one cannot bring them together. Unification is achieved only after differentiation—this is the spirit of Hé.

Third, by looking at the six lines. The process of "gathering in accord" described in the six lines of Tóng Rén is not a smooth, simple harmony, but is full of contradiction, conflict, and struggle—the third line reads "hiding armed men in the brush" (fú róng yú mǎng); the fourth line, "mounting the wall but failing to attack" (shèng qí yōng, fú kè gōng); the fifth line, "first crying out and then laughing" (xiān háo tí ér hòu xiào)—all these show that true Tóng Rén must undergo the tempering of difference and conflict before profound unification can be attained.

Therefore, the Tóng spoken of in the Tóng Rén hexagram is by no means homogenization that cancels difference, but rather the true "Great Accord" (Dà Tóng) achieved after acknowledging difference and undergoing conflict. This resonates with the ideal of "Great Accord" described in the Book of Rites (Lǐ Jì, Rites of Passage, Rites of Passage*):

"When the Great Way prevails, the world is held in common. Worthy and capable men are selected, and trustworthiness and mutual accord are practiced. Thus, people do not only love their own parents, nor only care for their own children... The old find their end in peace, the able-bodied find their employment, the young find their growth, and the widowed, solitary, orphaned, disabled, and sick all find support. Men have their proper roles, and women have their proper place. Wealth is loath to be left discarded on the ground, yet it is not necessarily stored for oneself; strength is loath to be kept from exertion, yet it is not necessarily exerted for oneself. Thus, conspiracies do not form, and brigandage and rebellion do not arise, so outer gates are not closed. This is called Great Accord." (礼记·礼运)

The age of "Great Accord" is not one where everyone is the same and lacks differences; rather, it is one where "worthy and capable men are selected"—respecting the unique qualities and talents of each person, and where "men have their proper roles, and women have their proper place"—each occupying their proper position and finding their due. This is precisely the highest "Accord" achieved amid difference.