13. Fellowship with Others

Judgment

同人：同人于野，亨。利涉大川，利君子贞。

Fellowship with people in the open: success. It furthers one to cross the great water; it furthers the perseverance of the noble person. Open, public solidarity.

Image

天与火，同人；君子以类族辨物。

Heaven together with fire: the image of fellowship. The noble person organises the clans and makes distinctions between things.

Lines

1. Line 1, yang (nine)

   初九：同人于门，无咎。

   Fellowship with people at the gate: no blame. An open start without barriers.

2. Line 2, yin (six)

   六二：同人于宗，吝。

   Fellowship with people in the clan: humiliation. The limits of cliques and factionalism.

3. Line 3, yang (nine)

   九三：伏戎于莽，升其高陵，三岁不兴。

   He hides weapons in the thicket and climbs the high hill in front of it; for three years he does not rise up. Suspicion and covert opposition exhaust both sides.

4. Line 4, yang (nine)

   九四：乘其墉，弗克攻，吉。

   He climbs up on his wall; he cannot attack. Good fortune. Able to fight and choosing not to—that is wisdom.

5. Line 5, yang (nine)

   九五：同人，先号咷而后笑，大师克相遇。

   Fellowship begins with weeping and lamenting, but afterward they laugh; after great struggles they succeed in meeting. Real unity often follows conflict.

6. Line 6, yang (nine)

   上九：同人于郊，无悔。

   Fellowship in the meadow: no remorse. The bond is not yet at the core, but there is nothing to regret.

In the enterprise

The hexagram of community, shared purpose and cross-group collaboration: rallying around a mission, cross-functional work, multicultural teams, public–private partnerships. Key move: from the clan (cliques) to the open field (open collaboration).

Psychological lens

Resonates with social identity theory (Tajfel) and the common ingroup identity model: a higher shared identity reduces intergroup bias.

Related hexagrams

Situations in the library that use this hexagram

• Co-operating with a competitor Enterprise, Line 4, yang (nine)
• Culture clash after the merger Enterprise, Line 5, yang (nine)
• Departmental silos Enterprise, Line 2, yin (six)
• Team rewards or individual rewards? Enterprise, Line 1, yang (nine)
• Cliques and covert opposition Enterprise, Line 3, yang (nine)
• Misaligned team goals Enterprise, Judgment
• Learning across disciplines Individuals, Judgment
• Competing with a colleague for a role Individuals, Line 4, yang (nine)
• Pressure to take sides Individuals, Line 2, yin (six)
• Conflict at family gatherings Individuals, Line 5, yang (nine)
• Social circles and status Individuals, Line 2, yin (six)
• Hidden rivalry between friends Individuals, Line 3, yang (nine)
• Entrance and hallway Individuals, Line 1, yang (nine)
• Creative collaboration Individuals, Judgment

Situation readings are a reflective framework for discussion—not predictions and not a substitute for professional advice.