Tong Ren — Common Cause
Also known as: Fellowship with Men
The Judgement
同人卦：同人于野，亨。利涉大川，利君子贞。
Joining with others out in the open country brings success that goes through. It is favourable to cross the great stream, and favourable for the noble person to hold to what is right.
AI commentaryTong Ren pairs Heaven and Fire, which share one nature and both rise, an image of harmony, solidarity and shared purpose. The judgement teaches that union with others should be broad and impartial, as if in the open country; without private factions there is success that goes through. It is favourable to brave hardship by crossing the great stream, and for the noble person to keep steadfast correctness. In divination it points to people of one mind working together. Yet such union holds value only when selfless and grounded in what is right; cliques formed for private gain narrow the circle and breed strife.
AI plain readingTong Ren, or Common Cause, shows Heaven above and Fire below, both moving upward, so it stands for harmony, people gathering and hearts set on a shared aim. The judgement says that joining with others should be as open and fair as meeting in the wide countryside; if you avoid forming a private clique, things go through. It also favours taking on difficult ventures, the crossing of the great stream, and asks you to hold to what is right. If you draw this hexagram, it usually means people are of one mind and ready to work together. The condition is fairness: unity built on selflessness and principle holds, while cliques and favouritism shrink the circle and lead to disputes.
The Great Image
天与火，同人；君子以类族辨物。
Heaven above and Fire rising to meet it: Common Cause. Seeing this, the noble person groups people by kin and kind and tells things apart according to their nature.
The Six Lines
1st Line (nine)
初九：同人于门，无咎。
Finding common cause with others as soon as one steps out of the gate: no blame.
AI commentaryStepping out of the gate and at once joining with others, without bias or private attachment, one meets people fairly from the very start, so there is no blame. The line teaches that union should begin in impartiality, tied to no faction.
AI plain readingAs soon as you step out of your door, you join with others openly, with no favourites and no hidden ties, so the start is fair and free of blame. The lesson of this line is that any partnership or alliance should begin from fairness to everyone, without private loyalties pulling you to one side.
- Timing
- An open beginning: meet people fairly, without hidden loyalties, and the tradition reads this phase as carrying no blame.
- Money
- Joint finances start well when every party sees the terms; fair cooperation from day one brings gain without blame.
- Career
- Treat every colleague evenly from the first meeting, and a new team or project starts smoothly with no blame attached.
- Relationships
- Sincerity without games or hidden motives makes a new bond warm, and such an honest start leaves no room for blame.
- Home & Household
- Make household decisions in the open and play no favourites among relatives; fairness at home means no blame and harmony.
- Health
- Rather than fixating on one remedy, begin a calm, balanced routine; the tradition sees an even temper as blameless and wholesome.
- Marriage
- Enter engagement or marriage talks frankly, with both families informed; an open-hearted beginning is blameless and favours a good match.
- Exams & Study
- From day one, give exam preparation an unbiased mind and undivided attention; such honest effort carries no blame and brings results.
- Travel
- Companions who set out on equal terms and share every plan openly make for a smooth trip with no blame.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- Raise the matter early, on plain facts and without side alliances; the reading favours no blame and an amicable settlement.
- Finding a Person
- A broad, unbiased search through neighbours, acquaintances and strangers alike is blameless, and the person can be found.
- The Decision Point
- Begin any alliance from impartial fairness, tied to no faction; common cause formed openly, right at the gate, carries no blame.
2nd Line (six)
六二：同人于宗，吝。
Joining only with one's own clan: a mean outcome.
AI commentaryUniting only with one's own clan amounts to a private faction; the circle is narrow, so the result is a mean outcome. The line warns that harmony confined to kin and cronies, lacking impartiality, loses the true spirit of common cause.
AI plain readingYou join only with your own family or inner circle, forming a private clique, so the range of your alliances is narrow and the outcome is mean and regrettable. This line teaches that if your loyalty stops at kin and close friends and never becomes fairness to all, you lose what genuine unity is about.
- Timing
- Staying inside a small circle limits you during this phase; widen your contacts and act impartially, or expect a mean outcome.
- Money
- Dealing only with relatives or old cronies narrows your options; insider arrangements end meanly, so open deals to fair outsiders.
- Career
- Promoting only your own faction at work backfires; recruit capable people from beyond your circle, or the result will be mean.
- Relationships
- Possessive love that shuts out friends turns small and sour; keep the bond generous, or it ends in a mean outcome.
- Home & Household
- Favouring one branch of the family breeds resentment and a mean outcome; treat everyone evenly under your roof, in-laws included.
- Health
- Leaning on one narrow remedy is unwise; one-sided care ends meanly, while a rounded routine of rest, diet and movement helps.
- Marriage
- Judging a match by family status or clan prejudice leads to a mean outcome; unite on character and sincerity instead.
- Exams & Study
- If you revise only favourite topics, gaps remain and the result is mean; cover the whole syllabus from many sources.
- Travel
- On the road, keep company beyond your clique; an exclusive group breeds friction, and the trip ends on a mean note.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- Partisan allies weaken your position more than they help; argue from evidence and accept impartial opinion, since factional tactics end meanly.
- Finding a Person
- Searching only one familiar place or circle limits results; a mean outcome follows unless you widen the enquiry through many channels.
- The Decision Point
- Do not let loyalty stop at your own clan; union confined to cronies ends meanly, so act with complete fairness and broaden the circle.
3rd Line (nine)
九三：伏戎于莽，升其高陵，三岁不兴。
Soldiers lie in ambush in the tall grass while one climbs a high hill to spy; for three years no move is made.
AI commentaryCoveting the partner it wants to join, the line hides troops in the grass and spies from high ground, but it cannot match the fifth line and dares not strike for three years. Covert, suspicious scheming fails and leaves one stuck.
AI plain readingYou want to win someone or something for yourself, so you lie in ambush and watch from a hilltop, but your rival is stronger and for three years you dare not move. This line teaches that grasping from private motives, acting on suspicion and plotting in secret never pays off; you simply stay stuck.
- Timing
- Plotting behind the scenes gets you nowhere now; hidden manoeuvres fail and leave you stuck, so act openly and honestly.
- Money
- Avoid secret deals or quietly undercutting partners for gain; keep transactions transparent, since covert grabs fail and tie up your resources.
- Career
- Scheming for a rival's post while suspecting colleagues will stall your progress; office intrigue leads nowhere, so simply do excellent work.
- Relationships
- Jealousy, spying on a partner or hidden agendas only hurt you; voice doubts frankly, because covert manoeuvring wounds without winning anything.
- Home & Household
- Suspicion and quiet power struggles keep the household tense; air grievances openly and kindly, since hidden contests leave the family stuck.
- Health
- Constant worry and inner suspicion drain you; the tradition counsels easing the mind, since silent strain wears you down.
- Marriage
- Secretly checking up on a partner undermines commitment; covert tests hurt and gain nothing, whereas honest conversation builds lasting trust.
- Exams & Study
- Genuine learning is the only route; cheating or gaming the exam fails, and underhand methods merely waste precious time.
- Travel
- Secret plans or hidden agendas among companions spoil the journey; stay transparent and correct, or the trip stalls and achieves little.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- Covert tactics and suspicion of opponents weaken your case; plainly presented facts serve better than secret manoeuvres, which prolong deadlock.
- Finding a Person
- Suspicion and secret surveillance turn up nothing; ask openly through several channels, as covert methods leave the search stuck.
- The Decision Point
- Scheming from private motives and suspicion never succeeds and only leaves you stuck; abandon the ambush and act openly, holding to what is right.
4th Line (nine)
九四：乘其墉，弗克攻，吉。
One mounts the city wall yet holds back from attacking: auspicious.
AI commentaryHaving mounted the wall to attack, one reflects on what is right, sees the cause is unjust and refrains, so it is auspicious. One who contends yet can examine oneself, admit the wrong and stop finds good fortune instead.
AI plain readingYou have climbed the wall ready to attack, but on reflection you see your claim is not fair, so you hold back, and that restraint is auspicious. This line teaches that if you are in a contest yet can look honestly at yourself, admit you are wrong and stop, things turn out well.
- Timing
- The turning point comes when you check your own motives; if your position is weak, pulling back now is auspicious.
- Money
- Before pressing a financial claim, ask whether it is justified; stepping back in time is auspicious and protects your funds.
- Career
- If you are about to challenge a colleague or rival unfairly, stop; reconsidering your stance is auspicious and steadies your position.
- Relationships
- Once you see the fault lies with you, drop the quarrel and make up; that retreat is auspicious for the bond.
- Home & Household
- Let a household argument rest once your side proves weak; yielding gracefully is auspicious and restores domestic peace.
- Health
- Stop pushing through strain or overtraining; the tradition reads a timely switch to rest as auspicious, followed by gradual improvement.
- Marriage
- Relent if pressing a partner or in-laws on unjustified terms; that change of heart is auspicious and lets the union proceed.
- Exams & Study
- Abandon a dead-end method or a problem you keep circling; changing approach and correcting course is auspicious for results.
- Travel
- Do not insist on a risky route or an overambitious schedule; choosing caution instead is auspicious, and the journey stays safe.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- If your claim is weak, withdraw rather than escalate; the reading favours settlement and regards this restraint as auspicious.
- Finding a Person
- Forcing the search or pressuring people for answers backfires; a calm, steady approach is auspicious, and the person can be found.
- The Decision Point
- If your cause is not right, halt even at the top of the wall; examining yourself and stopping in time turns contention into good fortune.
5th Line (nine)
九五：同人，先号咷而后笑。大师克相遇。
Those who share a cause first cry out and weep, then laugh; a great army wins through and they are reunited.
AI commentarySeparated from its partner, the second line, by a strong foe, the line first wails; once the obstacle is cleared they unite and laugh, like armies joining after victory. Kindred spirits, though long kept apart, meet through sincerity and firm resolve.
AI plain readingYou and the people you belong with are kept apart by a strong obstacle, and at first you weep, but once the barrier is cleared you unite and laugh, like two armies meeting after victory. This line teaches that those who share a purpose may suffer separation, yet sincerity and resolve bring them together.
- Timing
- Frustration and tears open this phase but relief ends it; with sincerity and determination, like-minded allies eventually reach you.
- Money
- Early setbacks stall a joint venture, but persistence clears them; the tradition sees cooperation resuming and gains following.
- Career
- Obstacles first cut you off from the team or backers you need; resolve breaks through and the partnership succeeds.
- Relationships
- Distance, rivals or misunderstanding cause early heartache, yet sincerity overcomes them; the two of you are likely to reunite happily.
- Home & Household
- Relatives may be apart or at odds for a while; patient effort clears the way to a joyful, harmonious reunion.
- Health
- A difficult, worrying stretch comes first; the tradition reads steady care and determination as leading to ease and recovery afterwards.
- Marriage
- Family objections or circumstances may block the match and bring tears at first; sincere persistence removes the barrier and unites you.
- Exams & Study
- Early marks disappoint, but determined study breaks through the barrier; the reading points to worry turning into celebration when results arrive.
- Travel
- Delays and hurdles mark the start of the journey; pressing on patiently, you finish the trip smoothly and productively.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- The conflict starts hard and divided, but sincere, persistent effort can bridge it; the reading favours eventual reconciliation and resolution.
- Finding a Person
- At first there is no trace, yet persistent enquiry overcomes each obstacle; the tradition reads this as an eventual reunion.
- The Decision Point
- Kindred spirits kept apart by hardship meet in the end through sincerity and resolve; endure the tears now, because laughter follows.
6th Line (nine)
上九：同人于郊，无悔。
Joining with others in the far outskirts: no regret.
AI commentaryJoining with others in the distant outskirts, the line cannot unite the wider world, yet in its remoteness it neither quarrels nor plays favourites, so there is no regret. Its larger aim goes unfulfilled, but nothing calls for reproach.
AI plain readingYou find companionship only in the far outskirts, away from the centre, so you cannot bring everyone together. Still, living apart, you quarrel with no one and have no private agenda, so there is nothing to regret. This line teaches that even when wider ambitions go unmet, a fair, uncontentious stance leaves no regret.
- Timing
- A quiet, peripheral phase; ambitions are only partly realised, but staying fair and avoiding conflict leaves no regret.
- Money
- Profits stay modest rather than large; avoiding rivalries over money brings no regret and finances that hold steady.
- Career
- Without factional ties or office quarrels, a sideline role away from the centre still leaves no regret and steady footing.
- Relationships
- Feelings may not deepen as hoped, yet a calm, uncompetitive approach leaves no regret and keeps your heart at ease.
- Home & Household
- The household will not flourish dramatically, but a peaceful family life free of feuds means no regret and a settled home.
- Health
- Strength is below its peak; the tradition reads a relaxed mind and unhurried pace as bringing no regret and steady wellbeing.
- Marriage
- A match may be slow or modest; free of contention and selfishness, it brings no regret, only stability.
- Exams & Study
- Results may not be outstanding, but focused, honest effort without rivalry leaves no regret and a respectable, secure outcome.
- Travel
- A trip somewhere remote or low-key may be unremarkable, yet with no disputes on the way it passes safely, without regret.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- You may not gain everything you sought; standing aloof from the fight without self-interest brings no regret and favours a resolution.
- Finding a Person
- News may be slow; search through several channels without bias, and in time the person can be found, with no regret.
- The Decision Point
- At the far edge of union, stay fair and uncontentious; even if your larger aim is not met, there is nothing to regret.