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

Section 2: The Epistemology of "Accord"—How to Know When "Accord" Has Been Achieved

In the pursuit of Tóng Rén, a fundamental epistemological question arises: How do we know when "Accord" has truly been achieved$2

I may feel I am in "Accord" with you, but you may not think so—so does "Accord" actually exist$3

Master Zhuangzi tells a famous parable in the Discussion on Making Things Equal:

"If men sleep in a damp place, they get a damp-place ache and become half-paralyzed. Is this because the mud is right for them$4 If they live in trees, they feel fearful and anxious. Is this because the trees are right for them$5 Among the three, who knows the right place$6 If men eat cooked meat, deer eat rushes, and centipedes find their sweetness in earthworms, while owls and crows delight in rats—among the four, who knows the right taste$7" (民湿寝则腰疾偏死，鳅然乎哉？木处则惴栗恂惧，猿猴然乎哉？三者孰知正处？民食刍豢，麋鹿食荐，蝍蛆甘带，鸱鸦耆鼠，四者孰知正味？)

Humans find damp places unsuitable for living, but mudskippers find them fine. Humans feel fear in tall trees, but apes feel safe. Which of the three knows the right place$8 There is no absolute standard.

Similarly, when we speak of "Tóng Rén," who judges whether the "Accord" is true "Accord"$9

Pre-Qin thought offers several different answers:

The Confucian Answer: Using "Centrality" (Zhōng) as the Standard. "Centrality" is the appropriate state that avoids extremes. If everyone can achieve "Centrality," then different people can naturally "accord" with each other—because "Centrality" is objective and universal, not dependent on individual subjective feelings.

The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhōng Yōng) states:

"Centrality is the great root of all things under Heaven. Harmony is the universal Way under Heaven. When centrality and harmony are achieved, Heaven and Earth maintain their proper positions, and the myriad things are nourished." (中也者，天下之大本也。和也者，天下之达道也。致中和，天地位焉，万物育焉。)

"Centrality" is the great root of all under Heaven; "Harmony" is the universal Way. When "Centrality and Harmony" are achieved, Heaven and Earth assume their proper places, and all things flourish. "Centrality and Harmony" is the standard for true "Accord."

The Daoist Answer: Taking "Naturalness" (Zìrán) as the Standard. True "Accord" requires no judgment—it happens spontaneously. Just as water naturally flows downward and fire naturally blazes upward—when people return to their original nature, "Accord" is naturally achieved.

The Ancient Answer: Taking "Divine Revelation" as the Standard. In the belief system of ancient peoples, divination (bǔ shī) was the way to obtain Heaven's will. The Book of Changes itself is a book of divination—asking Heaven's will through divination to determine whether one's actions conform to the Heavenly Way. The phrase "Advantageous for the noble man to persevere" (lì jūn zǐ zhēn) in Tóng Rén hexagram also includes this layer of meaning—consulting divination to confirm whether the act of Tóng Rén receives Heaven's approval.