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

Section 2: Nine Five: First Crying Out and Then Laughing, A Great Army is Able to Meet

The line statement for Nine Five reads:

"Gathering in Accord, first crying out mournfully (háo tí), then laughing; a great army is able to meet." (同人，先号咷而后笑，大师克相遇。)

The Lesser Image Commentary states:

"The first step in Tóng Rén comes from centrality and correctness. The great army meeting means they overcome each other." (同人之先，以中直也。大师相遇，言相克也。)

Nine Five is the most complex and dramatic line in the Tóng Rén hexagram. It depicts a tortuous process from sorrow to joy, from conflict to meeting.

"First Crying Out Mournfully, Then Laughing":

"Háo tí" means crying out loudly in grief. "First crying out mournfully, then laughing"—first sorrowful, then turning sadness into joy and laughing. Why would Nine Five experience such an emotional turning point$42

Nine Five, a Yang line in a Yang position (Five is an odd number, belonging to Yang), and also in the central position of the upper trigram Qian—it attains position and centrality, being the most honored and powerful line in the hexagram. Nine Five properly corresponds to Six Two—a relationship where their hearts are connected. However, the problem is that Nine Five and Six Two are separated by Nine Three and Nine Four—two other Yang lines that also wish to approach Six Two. To "accord with Six Two," Nine Five must overcome the obstructions posed by Nine Three and Nine Four.

In the process of overcoming these obstacles, Nine Five endures great pain and struggle—"first crying out mournfully" (xiān háo tí). But ultimately, because the correspondence between Nine Five and Six Two is proper and ordained by Heaven, no obstacle can permanently separate them—thus they eventually meet—"then laughing" (hòu xiào).

"A Great Army is Able to Meet" (Dà Shī Kè Xiāng Yù):

"Great Army" (dà shī) means a large force. "Kè" can mean "able to" (the great army is able to meet) or "overcome" (meeting after overcoming obstacles through battle).

Regardless of the interpretation, the term "Great Army" points to a colossal power—Nine Five mobilized his entire force to overcome the obstacles between himself and Six Two. This is not just military strength but spiritual strength—Nine Five's unwavering conviction and relentless will.

Why does Tóng Rén require such a great price$43 Why cannot the meeting between Nine Five and Six Two be smooth sailing$44

Because true Tóng Rén—the deep unity of hearts—is never easily achieved. In the real world, all kinds of obstacles (prejudice, misunderstanding, conflict of interest, jealousy, suspicion) hinder sincere connection between people. Overcoming these obstacles requires immense effort and enduring great pain.

The Book of Odes (Feng, King Wen) sings:

"My heart is filled with sorrow, my steps falter. Those who know me say, 'My heart is heavy with grief.' Those who do not know me, say, 'What is he seeking$45' Oh, vast Heaven, whom does he seek$46" (知我者，谓我心忧；不知我者，谓我何求。悠悠苍天，此何人哉！)

The gulf between being understood ("those who know me") and not being understood ("those who do not know me") is humanity's eternal sorrow. Nine Five's "first crying out mournfully" perhaps encompasses this loneliness and pain of being misunderstood. But in the end, he "laughs afterwards"—finally finding a true confidant—and that joy is incomparable.

The first line of the Analects (Xué Ér) echoes this:

"Is it not a pleasure to have friends coming from afar$47 Is it not a gentleman who, though men do not recognize his worth, feels no resentment$48" (有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？人不知而不愠，不亦君子乎？)

Having friends come from afar—friends who have endured the hardship of a long journey to finally meet—that joy is like Nine Five's "laughing afterwards." And "though men do not recognize his worth, feels no resentment"—not getting angry or complaining when misunderstood—this is the cultivation of Nine Five during the "first crying out" stage.

The Explanation of the Lesser Image Commentary:

"The first step in Tóng Rén comes from centrality and correctness" (tóng rén zhī xiān, yǐ zhōng zhí yě)—Nine Five first experiences suffering because he is "centrally correct" (zhōng zhí)—occupying the center, upright in heart. A righteous person in an unrighteous environment will inevitably suffer more pain. But precisely because he is centrally correct, he can ultimately overcome all obstacles.

"A great army meeting means they overcome each other" (dà shī xiāng yù, yán xiāng kè yě)—the meeting of a great army implies confrontation and overcoming between the two forces. This is not one side annihilating the other, but reaching a reconciliation through confrontation. Like two great armies meeting, the outcome is not a decisive victory, but "meeting"—standing face to face, acknowledging each other's existence and power.

This image of "overcoming each other" (xiāng kè) is very profound. It suggests that true Tóng Rén is not eliminating opposition, but achieving coexistence amid opposition. The conflict between Nine Five and Nine Three/Nine Four is ultimately resolved not by one side eliminating the other, but by "a great army meeting each other"—both sides fully displaying their strengths and then reaching a new equilibrium.