Heaven Fire Tongren: Confucian-Daoist Dialogue and the Investigation of Ancient Spiritual Origins from a Pre-Qin Perspective
This article deeply examines the *Tian Huo Tong Ren* hexagram from the *I Ching*, contextualizing it within Pre-Qin Confucian and Daoist thought and ancient culture to sequentially analyze the implications of its trigrams, hexagram statement, and line statements. By differentiating between 'Sameness' (Tong) and 'Harmony' (He) and integrating the structural logic of the *Xu Gua Zhuan*, it explores the pivotal role of the *Tong Ren* hexagram in the transition from stagnation to prosperity, revealing the primordial wisdom of seeking Great Consensus amidst difference.
Section 2: "Connecting the Will of All Under Heaven" and "Knowing It Cannot Be Done, Yet Doing It Anyway"
The Tuanzhuan states, "Only the noble man can fully connect the will of all under Heaven." In reality, "connecting the will of all under Heaven" is an extremely difficult, perhaps seemingly impossible, goal. There are countless people under Heaven with countless different aspirations—how can they all be connected$21
The life of Master Confucius is perhaps the best answer to this question. His lifelong pursuit of "connecting the will of all under Heaven"—to allow all people under Heaven to live in peace and harmony—was ultimately never fully realized. He traveled among the feudal states for fourteen years, yet no state truly adopted his political ideals. In the Analects (Xian Jin), Wei Sheng Mu questioned Confucius:
"Why are you so restless, Qiu$22 Are you not practicing flattery$23" (丘何为是栖栖者与？无乃为佞乎？)
"Why are you wandering about so restlessly$24 Are you not perhaps an eloquent flatterer$25" Faced with such doubt, Confucius's reply was resolute:
"It is not that I dare to flatter; it is that I cannot bear the stubbornness of the age." (非敢为佞也，疾固也。)
"I do not dare to flatter; I cannot bear the stubbornness and dullness of the world."
More famously, he was satirized by Jie Yu and advised by Chang Ju and Jie Ni—all of whom thought his efforts were futile and that he should retreat into seclusion. Confucius replied:
"Birds and beasts, I cannot associate with them. If I do not associate with the people of this age, with whom shall I associate$26 If the Way prevails in the world, I shall not try to change it." (Analects, Wei Zi)
"I cannot associate with birds and beasts—I am a member of humanity; if I do not associate with the people of this age, who shall I associate with$27 If the Way prevails under Heaven, I shall not try to change it."
This passage is the most moving declaration of the Way of Tóng Rén. Confucius knew the difficulty of "connecting the will of all under Heaven"—but he chose to "know that it cannot be done, yet do it anyway." He was not ignorant of the harshness of reality, but he believed that the Way of Tóng Rén is the fundamental mission of being human—even if it cannot be perfectly achieved, it must still be pursued.
The judgment of Upper Nine, "Gathering in Accord in the suburbs, no regret," perhaps perfectly captures the reflection of Confucius's life—although "aspiration has not yet been achieved," there is "no regret." This "no regret" is not because the goal was achieved, but because the correct path was maintained.