YiPhase LESSON 13 / 64 Read the full hexagram ↗

The Book of Changes · Everyday life

同人 TÓNG RÉN — A wider circle of people

An illustrated bilingual YiPhase lesson on Fellowship, hexagram 13 of the I Ching, with six line-by-line everyday examples. Follow the original Chinese, a modern life example, and each line from the bottom upward.

A homeowner welcomes different travelers at an open village gate.
01 / 08

13 · FELLOWSHIP

A wider circle of people

象曰:天與火,同人;君子以類族辨物。

Heaven together with Fire: Fellowship. The noble one classifies groups and distinguishes things.

Fellowship is open, upright association.

離 · Fire below · 乾 · Heaven above · lines rise from the bottom

NARRATION

Fellowship is open, upright association.

Ready · about 4 minutes

An original YiPhase teaching lesson. Your device supplies the narration, so voice quality varies. The modern situation is an analogy, not a prediction. Explore the full 同人 guide for the classical judgment and six detailed line readings.

Read the full English / 中文 script

1. A wider circle of people · 象曰:天與火,同人;君子以類族辨物。

Fellowship is open, upright association.

同人讲公开、正直地与人结伴。

You help organize a community garden in a diverse neighborhood. Instead of inviting only close friends, you post flyers and welcome all residents.

你参与组织一个多元社区的社区花园。 你不是只邀请好友,而是张贴海报欢迎所有居民。

The Image gives us a clue: Heaven together with Fire: Fellowship. The noble one classifies groups and distinguishes things. We will read the six lines from the ground upward.

象曰:天與火,同人;君子以類族辨物。 我们从下往上读六爻,看看处境怎样一步步变化。

2. Open the gate · 同人于門,無咎。

The gate opens, and strangers are invited onto the common road. Fellowship starts beyond one's own doorway.

门敞开,陌生人也能走上共同的路;同人从跨出自家门开始。

You start a book club at the local library. Instead of texting only your close friends, you post a sign-up sheet for anyone interested. A retired teacher, a night-shift nurse, and a college student join. By opening the door to strangers, you avoid a closed circle and gain diverse perspectives.

你在社区图书馆发起一个读书会。你没有只给好友发消息,而是张贴报名表,欢迎任何感兴趣的人。一位退休教师、一位夜班护士和一位大学生加入。向陌生人敞开大门,你避免了封闭的小圈子,获得了多元视角。

Begin by opening the gate to those outside; this avoids the fault of closed factions. Who might you invite into a group that currently feels closed?

你可以邀请谁加入一个目前感觉封闭的群体?

3. Leave the inner circle · 同人于宗,吝。

The gathering shrinks to a single clan. That closeness cannot carry the wider work before it.

聚会只剩同宗一圈;再亲近,也难承担更广的共同事务。

Your study group for a difficult exam only includes your three closest classmates. You share notes and quiz each other, but when a fourth student asks to join, you hesitate. The group's narrow focus means you miss alternative explanations and support. Limiting fellowship to your own clan brings stagnation.

你的备考小组只包括你最亲近的三位同学。你们分享笔记、互相测验,但当第四位同学想加入时,你犹豫了。小组的狭隘视角意味着你错过了其他解释和支持。只与自己的小圈子结伴,会带来停滞。

Association limited to one's own clan loses breadth and flexibility. When has staying inside your comfort group limited your growth?

什么时候待在舒适的小圈子里限制了你的成长?

4. Do not feed hostility · 伏戎于莽,升其高陵,三歲不興。

A rival hides weapons in the grass and watches the ridge. Suspicion holds the group still, while rash attack would worsen it.

有人伏兵草中、登高观望;猜忌使关系僵住,贸然出击又会更坏。

In your team, a coworker resents another's promotion but hides it behind polite emails. You sense the tension—like soldiers hidden in reeds—but no one addresses it. The project stalls for months. Seeing the conflict without acting rashly means naming the issue calmly, not pretending it's absent.

在你的团队中,一位同事对另一位的升职心怀不满,却用礼貌的邮件掩盖。你感觉到紧张——像士兵藏在芦苇丛中——但没有人挑明。项目停滞了数月。看到冲突而不轻举妄动,意味着平静地指出问题,而不是假装它不存在。

Hidden hostility keeps a relationship stalled. Where is hidden resentment quietly stalling a relationship or project?

在哪里,隐藏的怨恨正在悄悄阻碍一段关系或一个项目?

5. Choose not to attack · 乘其墉,弗克攻,吉。

On the wall, a would-be attacker chooses not to climb down into violence. Refusal can keep fellowship possible.

站在城墙上本可攻下去,却决定不出手;克制让相处仍有可能。

At a neighborhood meeting, you have proof that the treasurer made a clerical error. You could publicly criticize—like standing on a wall ready to attack—but you choose to speak privately instead. By not attacking, you preserve trust and keep the group focused on its shared goal.

在社区会议上,你有证据表明财务人员犯了一个文书错误。你可以公开批评——就像站在墙上准备进攻——但你选择私下沟通。选择不攻击,你保住了信任,让小组继续专注于共同目标。

Even from a position to attack, choosing not to attack preserves the shared rightness. Where could choosing not to attack actually strengthen a shared purpose?

在哪里,选择不攻击反而能强化共同目标?

6. Reunion after tears · 同人,先號啕而后笑,大師克相遇。

Separated companions first weep, then cross the obstacle and laugh together. Reunion has to pass through effort.

久别的人先哭后笑,越过阻隔才重新相见;团聚不是凭空发生。

You and a close friend stopped speaking after a bitter misunderstanding. Months later, you meet at a coffee shop. At first, tears come as you each explain your pain. Then, as you truly listen, the tension breaks and you laugh together. Crossing the obstacle of pride brings reunion.

你和一位好友因一场痛苦的误会不再说话。几个月后,你们在咖啡馆见面。起初,当你们各自解释痛苦时,泪水涌出。然后,当你们真正倾听时,紧张消散,你们一起笑了。跨越自尊的障碍,带来重逢。

A deep separation may first bring tears. What separation might heal if you are willing to weep and then laugh together?

如果愿意先哭泣再一起欢笑,什么分离可能愈合?

7. Meet in the open · 同人于郊,無悔。

Beyond the crowded center, people meet in an open field. Even a quieter alliance can leave no regret.

离开热闹中心,众人在郊野相会;较疏远的连接也能坦然无悔。

You volunteer at a city-wide festival in a large park. You meet people from different neighborhoods, ages, and backgrounds. You're not at the center of any group, but you greet everyone openly. This broad, outside-the-city-wall connection leaves you with no regret.

你在一个大公园里为全市性的节日做志愿者。你遇到来自不同社区、年龄和背景的人。你不在任何群体的中心,但你公开地欢迎每个人。这种在城墙之外、开阔处的广泛连接,让你无悔。

Even outside the center, connection in an open place with different people leaves no regret. Where might you connect with a wider circle, even if you're not at the center?

在哪里,即使你不在中心,也可能与更广泛的圈子建立连接?

8. Can you cooperate beyond your own circle? · 同人,同人于野,亨,利涉大川,利君子貞。

True fellowship leaves private enclosure and builds cooperation around open principles and a larger shared aim.

真正的同人要离开私域,在公开的原则与大目标中建立合作。

A shared purpose that can reach the open field and cross a great river is more than a small circle protecting itself.

能走到开阔处、跨过大河的共同目标,才不是小圈子的互相取暖。

Ask yourself: Where in your life could you open a closed circle to a wider, shared purpose?

不妨问自己:在你的生活中,你可以在哪里将一个封闭的圈子向更广泛的共同目标开放?