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

Section 3: The Ethics of Tóng Rén—Moral Requirements of the Way of Tóng Rén

The Tóng Rén hexagram imposes clear moral requirements on the actor: "Advantageous for the noble man to persevere" (lì jūn zǐ zhēn)—one must be a jūnzǐ and must uphold the correct path. What, specifically, are the moral requirements of the Way of Tóng Rén$10

I. Sincerity (Chéng) The foundation of Tóng Rén is sincerity—treating others genuinely and interacting frankly.

The Doctrine of the Mean states:

"Sincerity is the Way of Heaven. To strive for sincerity is the Way of man. When sincere, one hits the mark without effort, grasps the truth without thought, follows the middle Way spontaneously; this is the sage. To strive for sincerity is to select the good and firmly adhere to it." (诚者，天之道也。诚之者，人之道也。诚者不勉而中，不思而得，从容中道，圣人也。诚之者，择善而固执之者也。)

"Sincerity" is the Way of Heaven—Heaven and Earth and all things are true and without falsehood. "Striving for sincerity" is the Way of man—man achieves sincerity through effort. In the Way of Tóng Rén, "Sincerity" means being genuine, not pretentious, not concealing—interacting with others showing one's true self.

The reason Nine Three's "hiding armed men in the brush" failed is precisely because of insincerity—secretly preparing troops and engaging in conspiracy is the height of insincerity. The reason Nine Five's "first crying out mournfully, then laughing" succeeded in the end is precisely because of sincerity—even if in pain enough to weep loudly, he did not conceal his emotions, ultimately moving the other party with his sincerity.

II. Impartiality (Gōng) The magnitude of Tóng Rén lies in impartiality—being just and selfless, holding the world in common.

"Heaven covers all impartially, the Earth sustains all impartially, the sun and moon shine impartially on all." (Lǐ Jì, Discourse on Confucius’s Leisure, quoting Confucius)

Heaven covers all without partiality, the Earth sustains all without partiality, the sun and moon shine on all without partiality. "Tóng Rén yú Yě" is to achieve this selfless state—treating everyone equally, without favoring any side.

III. Correctness (Zhèng) The guarantee of Tóng Rén lies in correctness—maintaining integrity, adhering to principles.

Accord without principle is dangerous—it can lead to "conforming to evil." Accord without character is fragile. "Advantageous for the noble man to persevere" is the core meaning of "advantageous for the noble man to persevere"—one must adhere to the correct path. According with the righteous and differentiating from the unrighteous—this is the core meaning of "lì jūn zǐ zhēn."

IV. Reciprocity (Shù) The method of Tóng Rén lies in reciprocity—putting oneself in another's place, understanding one's own measure in others.

When asked if there was a single word that could serve as a lifelong guiding principle, Confucius replied:

"Perhaps that word is reciprocity (shù)! What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." (Analects, Wei Ling Gong)

"Shù"—one word that can be practiced throughout life. "Shù" is the most fundamental method for achieving Tóng Rén: thinking about others from your own perspective—what you do not wish to be treated with, do not treat others that way; how you wish to be treated, treat others that way. This method of extending one’s own measure to others is the simplest and most effective way to establish "Accord."