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

Section 3: Upper Nine: Gathering in the Suburbs, No Regret

The line statement for Upper Nine reads:

"Gathering in Accord in the suburbs (jiāo), there is no regret (wú huǐ)." (同人于郊，无悔。)

The Lesser Image Commentary states:

"Gathering in Accord in the suburbs—the aspiration has not yet been achieved." (同人于郊，志未得也。)

Upper Nine is the final line of Tóng Rén, at the end of the entire hexagram. After the twists involving the door, the clan, war, assault, and alternating sorrow and joy, Upper Nine arrives at the "suburbs."

The "suburbs" (jiāo) are the transitional area outside the city walls—farther than the "door," larger than the "clan," but smaller than the "wilds." In Pre-Qin geography, the suburbs were the transitional zone between the city and the wilds—not entirely public space (wilds), nor entirely private space (clan or door).

Why "No Regret" instead of "Auspicious" or "Success"$49

"No Regret" (wú huǐ) ranks below "Auspicious" (jí) and above "Blame" (jiù) in the Yijing's judgment system—meaning: although there is nothing to regret, there is nothing particularly worth celebrating.

Why can Upper Nine only achieve "no regret" and not "auspicious"$50 The Lesser Image Commentary replies: "The aspiration has not yet been achieved" (zhì wèi dé yě)—the aspiration has not been fully realized. This is a somewhat melancholic judgment. After experiencing so much—from door to clan, from war to assault, from sorrow to joy—finally reaching the suburbs, the aspiration is still unfulfilled. The Way of Tóng Rén does not conclude perfectly here.

Why is "Aspiration Not Yet Achieved"$51

Upper Nine is at the very end, positioned highest. In the Yijing, the topmost line often implies the problem of excess—going too far, too high, and thus detaching from the core. Upper Nine is farthest from Six Two—the core of the hexagram—and has almost no direct relationship. Although he also desires Tóng Rén, his position is too distant, and his capacity is insufficient.

"Gathering in the suburbs" is better than "Gathering in the ancestral temple"—at least he has stepped out of the narrow confines of the clan. But he is still one step short of "Gathering in the wilds"—the "suburbs" are not broad or just enough. Although Upper Nine has gone far, he has not reached the broadest space.

This reminds us of the Great Peng described by Master Zhuang:

"When the Peng migrates to the Southern Sea, it strikes the water for three thousand li and soars upon the hurricane for ninety thousand lǐ... The Cicada and the little dove laugh at it, saying, 'When we fly up, we dash against a mulberry or elm tree and stop. That’s the limit of our flight, and we come down to the ground again. Why should we fly ninety thousand lǐ to the South$52'" (Zhuangzi, Xiaoyao You)

The Peng flies very far and very high, but it is not yet truly "free and unfettered" (xiāoyáo)—true freedom is "without dependence" (wú dài), absolute freedom not relying on any external condition. Upper Nine's "gathering in the suburbs" is similar—he has gone far enough, but it is not yet true "gathering in the wilds."

The Positive Meaning of "No Regret":

Despite "aspiration not yet achieved," Upper Nine has "no regret"—he will not regret taking this path. This is also an admirable character trait. If one pursues the Way of Tóng Rén, even if the goal is not fully realized in the end, as long as the process did not violate righteousness, there is no need for regret.

The Analects (Xian Jin) records Confucius's words:

"He neither blames Heaven nor curses men; he studies what is below the world and penetrates to what is above. Does not Heaven know him$53 Perhaps Heaven knows him!" (不怨天，不尤人，下学而上达。知我者其天乎！)

Confucius pursued the "Way" his entire life, wandering among the feudal states, suffering hardship, and ultimately failed to fully realize his political ideal. But he did not blame Heaven or curse men—he had nothing to regret. This state resonates with the spirit of Upper Nine: "gathering in the suburbs, without regret"—even though "aspiration has not yet been achieved," there is "no regret."