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

Section 1: Qian Above and Li Below—The Natures of the Two Trigrams

The Tóng Rén hexagram is composed of the upper trigram Qian (☰, Heaven) and the lower trigram Li (☲, Fire). To understand the overall meaning of this six-line hexagram, we must first deeply examine the natures of Qian and Li, the two component trigrams.

The Nature of Qian (Heaven):

The Shuogua Zhuan discusses Qian:

"Qian is vigor (jiàn)." "Qian is Heaven, the round, the ruler, the father, jade, metal, cold, ice, dark red, a fine horse, an old horse, a lean horse, a piebald horse, a tree bearing fruit." (说卦传: 乾，健也。...乾为天，为圜，为君，为父，为玉，为金，为寒，为冰，为大赤，为良马，为老马，为瘠马，为驳马，为木果。)

The core nature of Qian is "vigor" (jiàn)—unceasing strength. The Image Commentary of Qian states: "Heaven's movement is vigorous; the noble man strives unceasingly." The vigor of Qian is the vigor of the movement of Heaven, the vigor of the eternal rotation of the sun, moon, and stars. It represents the universe’s most fundamental creative power—pure Yang energy.

In terms of imagery, Qian represents Heaven, the Ruler, the Father. Heaven covers all things, the Ruler governs the populace, and the Father presides over the family. The common characteristic of these three is: occupying the upper position, leading, vigorous, and vast.

Why does Qian also represent "the round" (yuán)$36 Because the movement of Heaven is a cyclical, returning round. The Xi Ci Zhuan states: "Qian knows the Great Beginning." Qian represents the Great Beginning of all things, and the beginning that constantly begins again, the end that constantly returns, is precisely the circular motion.

The Nature of Li (Fire):

The Shuogua Zhuan discusses Li:

"Lì means to adhere/attach." "Lì means brightness (míng), where all things are seen. It is the trigram of the South. Li is fire, the sun, lightning, the middle daughter, armor and weapons; in relation to man, it is the large abdomen; it is the trigram Qian; it is the soft-shelled turtle, the crab, the conch, the clam, the tortoise. In relation to wood, it is withered wood above the branch." (说卦传: 离，丽也。...离也者，明也，万物皆相见，南方之卦也。...离为火，为日，为电，为中女...其于木也，为科上槁。)

The core nature of Li is "Lì"—adhesion or attachment. Fire must adhere to combustible material to exist; the sun and moon must adhere to the sky to shine. Simultaneously, "Lì" also carries the meaning of civilization or splendor—the term "civilization" (wénmíng) is used in the Tuanzhuan to describe the Li trigram.

Li also represents "Brightness" (Míng)—illumination. The reason fire is Li is because fire can illuminate darkness, allowing all things "to be seen." The Shuogua Zhuan says Li is the "trigram of the South," because the South is where light is most abundant (in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun reaches its zenith in the South).

Why does Li also represent "armor and weapons" (jiǎ zhò, gē bīng)$37 This seems inconsistent with the image of "civilization" and "brightness." However, if we think deeply, armor and weapons are "externally rigid and internally soft": armor is hard on the outside, hollow inside to protect the body; weapons have a metal exterior wrapping a wooden shaft. The image of Li (☲) is two outer Yang lines enclosing an inner Yin line—external solidity and internal emptiness. This structure of "external solidity, internal softness" is the fundamental characteristic of Li.

In the imagery of Li, there is another very important image: the Sun (rì). The Xi Ci Zhuan states:

"The running of the sun and moon brings one cold season and one hot season." (日月运行，一寒一暑。)

The Sun is Li, the Moon is Kan (坎). The Sun is the brightest entity in the sky; it shines upon all things, leaving nothing hidden—this has a profound connection with the meaning of Tóng Rén—Tóng Rén requires "Brightness" (Míng)—the ability to see one another, to be open and sincere, to interact frankly. Without brightness, people can only grope in darkness, mutually suspicious. Confucius said regarding the superior man (Analects, Yan Yuan):

"The noble man is free from anxiety and fear." "If he examines himself and finds nothing to reproach, what anxiety or fear can he have$38" (内省不疚，夫何忧何惧？)

Only when one’s inner self is without reproach can one be truly open. Openness is the fundamental prerequisite for the Way of Tóng Rén.

Furthermore, the Sun is Li, the Moon is Kan. The Sun is the brightest existence in the sky; it universally illuminates all things, making nothing hidden—this has a profound connection with the meaning of Tóng Rén—Tóng Rén requires "Brightness" (Míng)—the ability to see one another, to be open and sincere, to interact frankly. Without brightness, people can only grope in darkness, mutually suspicious.

Why does the combination of Qian and Li constitute Tóng Rén$39

This is a key question. In the sixty-four hexagrams, each is formed by combining two trigrams, but not any two trigrams placed together can generate a meaningful hexagram name. Why is it specifically Qian above and Li below—Heaven above, Fire below—that constitutes Tóng Rén$40

To answer this, we must understand the relationship between "Heaven" and "Fire."