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 5: The Special Structure of Tóng Rén—One Yin and Five Yangs
Another noteworthy feature of the Tóng Rén hexagram is its Yin-Yang structure: five Yang lines and one Yin line. That solitary Yin line is the second line (Six Two, 六二), located in the central position of the lower trigram Li.
In a hexagram with one Yin and five Yangs (such as Guà (姤) or Guài (夬)), the single Yin line often holds a special significance—it is the key to the entire hexagram, the focal point upon which all the Yangs focus. In Tóng Rén, Six Two plays this role.
The Tuanzhuan states: "Yielding attains the proper position and centrality, and responds to Qian (Heaven), thus it is called Tóng Rén." (柔得位得中，而应乎乾，曰同人。) — Six Two, being a yielding line (Yin), occupies a Yin position (Two is an even number, belonging to Yin), thus it "attains the proper position" (dé wèi); it occupies the central position of the lower trigram, thus it "attains centrality" (dé zhōng); it corresponds to Nine Five in the upper trigram Qian, thus it "responds to Qian" (yìng hū Qián). It is precisely because Six Two possesses these three conditions—proper position, centrality, and correspondence to Qian—that the entire hexagram is named Tóng Rén.
Why can the "proper position and centrality" of a single Yin line cause the entire hexagram to become Tóng Rén$49
This involves a deep consideration of the relationship between "One" and "Many" in Pre-Qin thought. Master Laozi states:
"The Dao begets One; One begets Two; Two begets Three; Three begets the myriad things. The myriad things carry Yin on their backs and embrace Yang in their arms; the vital qi mingles to make harmony." (Laozi, Chapter 42)
"The myriad things carry Yin on their backs and embrace Yang in their arms"—in an environment dominated by Yang, the existence of Yin is precisely the key to harmony. In the Tóng Rén hexagram, five Yangs and one Yin, that solitary Yin line (Six Two) is the crucial factor that allows the five Yangs to "accord" together. Without this Yin line, the hexagram would be all Yang, which is Qian—purely rigid without yielding softness. Although it possesses the virtue of "unceasing striving," it lacks the gentleness necessary for "according with others." It is the presence of Six Two that provides a "center" for the entire hexagram—a focal point around which the Yangs can gather, correspond to, and point toward.
From another angle, Six Two is the central line of the lower trigram Li, which represents Fire and Brightness. Six Two is that brightness that gathers the hearts of people—like a bonfire in the darkness, people gather around it, warmed by it, illuminated by it. This image harmonizes perfectly with the original experience of ancient peoples sitting around a bonfire! We will discuss this in detail in the chapter on ancient mythology and folklore.