T'ung J^ en / Fellowship with Men
above: Ch'ien The Creative, Heaven
below: Li The Clinging, Flame
The image of the upper trigram Ch'ien is heaven, and that of the lower,
Li, is flame. It is the nature of fire to flame up to heaven. This
gives the idea of fellowship. It is the second line that, by virtue of
its central character, unites the five strong lines around it. This
hexagram forms a complement to Shih, THE ARMY (7).
In the latter, danger is within and obedience without--the character of
a warlike army, which, in order to hold together, needs one strong man
among the many who are weak. Here, clarity is within and strength
without--the character of a peaceful union of men, which, in order to
hold together, needs one yielding nature among many firm persons.
The Judgement
FELLOWSHIP WITH MEN in the open.
Success.
It furthers one to cross the great water.
The perseverance of the superior man furthers.
True fellowship among men must be based upon a concern that is
universal. It is not the private interests of the individual that
create lasting fellowship among men, but rather the goals of humanity.
That is why it is said that fellowship with men in the open succeeds.
If unity of this kind prevails, even difficult and dangerous tasks,
such as crossing the great water, can be accomplished. But in order to
bring about this sort of fellowship, a persevering and enlightened
leader is needed--a man with clear, convincing, and inspiring aims and
the strength to carry them out. (The inner trigram means clarity; the
outer, strength.)
The Image
Heaven together with fire:
The image of FELLOWSHIP WITH MEN.
Thus the superior man organizes the clans
And makes distinctions between things.
Heaven has the same direction of movement as fire, yet it is different
from fire. Just as the luminaries in the sky serve for the systematic
division and arrangement of time, so human society and all things that
really belong together must be organically arranged. Fellowship should
not be a mere mingling of individuals or of things--that would be
chaos, not fellowship. If fellowship is to lead to order, there must be
organization within diversity.