Hexagram of the Day Saturday, December 6, 2025: #13 Fellowship with Men (同人)

Lí is also the name of a three-line trigram; a single yin clings between two yangs, so its virtue is clinging and civil enlightenment, and its images are fire, the sun, and lightning. 'Fellowship with men' means harmonizing with others.

With Lí meeting The Creative (Heaven), fire rises upward to harmonize with heaven. Six in the Second Place attains its position and the center, responding above to Nine in the Fifth Place; moreover, the hexagram has only one yin while five yangs harmonize with it.

Therefore it is Fellowship with Men in the open field, meaning broad, expansive, and free of selfishness. There is the path of success. Moving with strength, one can cross the great river.

As a hexagram, it has civil enlightenment within and firm strength without; Six in the Second Place is central, correct, and finds correspondence, which is the Way of the superior man.

If the diviner can act like this, there will be success and one can cross perils; yet only if what one harmonizes with accords with the Way of the superior man will it be advantageous.

Explaining the name and meaning of the hexagram by its structure: 'yielding' refers to Six in the Second Place; 'Heaven' refers to Nine in the Fifth Place. [Superfluous characters.]

Explaining the hexagram statement by the hexagram's virtues and structure: only communicating the will of all under heaven constitutes Great Fellowship; otherwise it is merely an association born of private feelings—how could that bring success or advantage in crossing?

Heaven is above, and fire blazes upward; their natures are the same. Classifying tribes and distinguishing things is the means to scrutinize differences in order to achieve fellowship.

Fellowship with Men in the Sequence of Hexagrams: Things cannot remain in standstill forever; hence Fellowship with Men follows. When Heaven and Earth do not interact, Standstill ensues; when upper and lower share the same purpose, Fellowship with Men ensues.

Its meaning is the exact opposite of Standstill, hence they follow in sequence. Furthermore, when the world is in standstill, only by joining forces with others can one bring deliverance; this is why Fellowship with Men follows Standstill.

As a hexagram, The Creative (Heaven) is above and Lí (Fire) is below. Speaking from the two images, Heaven is that which is above; the nature of fire is to blaze upward, harmonizing with Heaven; hence it is Fellowship with Men.

Speaking from the two structures, the fifth occupies the upright position as master of The Creative; the second is master of Lí. The two lines correspond with centrality and correctness, upper and lower uniting in harmony: this is the meaning of Fellowship with Men.

Moreover, the hexagram has only a single yin, which all the yang lines desire to associate with; this too is the meaning of Fellowship with Men.

Other hexagrams certainly possess single yin lines, but in the time of Fellowship with Men, the second and fifth correspond, and Heaven and Fire share the same orientation; hence its meaning is profound.

'The open field' refers to wide open country, taking the meaning of distance and the outside. Fellowship with Men through the Great Fellowship of all under heaven represents the impartial public mind of sages and worthies.

Ordinary men associate out of mutual private convenience, which is merely petty intimacy. Therefore it must be 'in the open field,' meaning not motivated by the private biases of intimacy, but situated in the vast, distant realm of the open fields.

Once unattached to private favoritism, it is the way of supreme impartiality and Great Fellowship: nowhere is too distant to be united. Its success can be known. Being able to achieve Great Fellowship with all under heaven means all under heaven unite with it.

If all under heaven are in harmony, what danger cannot be crossed, what hardship cannot be made prosperous? Hence 'it is advantageous to cross the great stream; advantageous for the superior man to persevere.'

Above it said 'in the open field,' merely signifying freedom from clannish favoritism; here it speaks again of the propriety of the superior man's correct path.

The perseverance of the superior man refers to the way of supreme impartiality and Great Fellowship under heaven; thus, though separated by thousands of miles or born thousands of years apart, they align like two halves of a tally.

Extending this to the breadth of the four seas and the multitude of millions of people, none fails to harmonize. Small men, however, employ only their private intent: those they favor, though wrong, are embraced; those they dislike, though right, are rejected.

What they associate with becomes factional intrigue, for their minds are not upright. Therefore, the way of Fellowship with Men finds its advantage in the superior man's upright perseverance.

Explaining the meaning of the formation of the hexagram: 'The yielding attains position' means that the second, being a yin in a yin position, attains its proper place.

The fifth is central and correct, and the second responds with centrality and correctness; attaining the center, it responds to The Creative.

The fifth is firm, strong, central, and correct, while the second responds with yielding compliance, centrality, and correctness; each attains its correctness and their virtues are identical, hence it is Fellowship with Men.

The fifth is master of The Creative, hence it says 'responds to The Creative.' The Xiang draws upon the images of Heaven and Fire, while the Tuan speaks exclusively of the second line. 'Fellowship with Men says:' These three characters are superfluous.

Utmost sincerity without selfishness, capable of treading into peril and hardship—this is the working of The Creative. Selflessness is the virtue of Heaven.

Explaining its meaning again by the two trigram components: possessing the virtue of civil enlightenment together with firm strength, responding through the path of centrality and correctness—this is the correct path of the superior man.

'Only the superior man can penetrate the will of all under heaven.' Under heaven, wills have myriad distinctions, but principle is one. The superior man understands principle, and therefore can penetrate the will of all under heaven.

The sage regards the minds of millions as a single mind simply by penetrating principle.

Civil enlightenment can illuminate principle, thereby clarifying the meaning of Great Fellowship; firm strength can overcome self, thereby exhausting the way of Great Fellowship; only then can one achieve centrality and correctness, harmonizing with the working of The Creative.

It does not say fire is under heaven, or under heaven there is fire, but says 'Heaven and Fire,' because Heaven is above, and the nature of fire is to blaze upward, fire harmonizing with Heaven; hence it provides the meaning of Fellowship with Men.

The superior man observes the image of Fellowship with Men, and by classifying tribes and distinguishing things, discerns what is identical and what is different among beings according to their tribes and kinds.

This is like discerning the factions of superior men and small men, the principles of good and evil, right and wrong, the estrangement and reunion of human feelings, and the similarities and differences of affairs and principles.

In all things of difference and sameness, the superior man can clearly distinguish them; therefore, in handling affairs, he never loses their proper measure.

The second is the master of Fellowship with Men.

The body of Heaven is above, and fire blazes upward; this is the meaning of Fellowship with Men. Superior men and small men each find where they belong.

Correct Meaning: 'Fellowship with Men' means harmonizing with others.

As for 'in the open field, success,' the open field is a vast and distant place; borrowing the name of the field to symbolize broad expansiveness, it means that in harmonizing with others, one must be broad and vast, leaving nothing unharmonized.

Employing the mind without selfishness, not dwelling in narrow intimacy, reaching as far as the open fields, one then achieves successful progress; hence 'Fellowship with Men in the open field: success.'

Sharing one mind with others is sufficient to cross hardships; hence it says 'it is advantageous to cross the great stream.' In harmonizing with others, the principle might easily drift into petty factionalism; hence 'it is advantageous for the superior man to persevere.'

This 'advantageous to cross the great stream' borrows an external image to illuminate human affairs.

Correct Meaning: This explains why one can achieve fellowship with others. "The yielding attains position and attains the center" refers to Six in the Second Place; responding above to Nine in the Fifth Place is "responding to The Creative."

"Fellowship with Men says" to "the working of The Creative." — Correct Meaning: Explaining the meaning of "Fellowship with Men in the open field: success; it is advantageous to cross the great stream." That it can achieve this is due to the working of The Creative.

It means that The Creative can practice this virtue, which is not what Six in the Second Place alone could accomplish; hence it specifically says "Fellowship with Men says" before saying "Fellowship with Men in the open field: success," differing from other hexagrams.

— Commentary: "Hence it specifically says Fellowship with Men says."

— Correct Meaning: "Hence it specifically says Fellowship with Men says" means that the Tuan commentary of a hexagram usually begins by repeating the hexagram name to explain its meaning; by standard rule, it should begin here with "Fellowship with Men in the open field: success."

Now, adding "Fellowship with Men says" above "Fellowship with Men in the open field: success" indicates a distinct meaning.

The hexagram name of Fellowship with Men takes Six in the Second Place as master, so the hexagram name is tied to Six in the Second Place; hence it says "Fellowship with Men says," as if saying "the hexagram Fellowship with Men says."

"Fellowship with Men in the open field: success; it is advantageous to cross the great stream," though appearing beneath the hexagram of Fellowship with Men, does not relate to the meaning of Six in the Second Place; therefore it repeats the text "Fellowship with Men in the open field: success," showing it to be the working of The Creative.

Correct Meaning: This explains "advantageous for the superior man to persevere." Illustrating it by the two trigram images, it says "civil enlightenment and strength."

"Central, correct, and responding" means that both Six in the Second Place and Nine in the Fifth Place dwell in the center and attain correctness, while also responding to each other, which is the correct path of the superior man; hence it says "the superior man's correctness."

If one uses martial force for strength, or responds through depravity, that is not the correctness of the superior man. "Only the superior man can penetrate the will of all under heaven."

— Correct Meaning: This further praises and clarifies the meaning of the superior man's correctness.

Only the superior man, in a time of Fellowship with Men, can use the correct Way to penetrate the will of all under heaven; hence it is advantageous for the superior man to persevere. — Commentary: "The superior man takes civil enlightenment as virtue."

— Correct Meaning: If one were not a superior man, one would use martial force.

Here the lower trigram of the hexagram is Lí, hence the Tuan says "civil enlightenment," and further says "only the superior man can penetrate the will of all under heaven"; this means the superior man takes civil enlightenment as his virtue, meaning that cultural pattern and principle are thoroughly understood and luminous.

Correct Meaning: The body of Heaven is above, and fire also blazes upward; taking their shared nature, it says: 'Heaven and Fire: Fellowship with Men.' Correct Meaning: Zú means to gather.

It means the superior man models himself on this Fellowship with Men, gathering beings according to their kinds. 'Distinguishing things' means discerning and separating things so that each joins its kind, making them naturally align without disorder.