This hexagram is defined by the one broken line in the second place surrounded by five unbroken lines. In the I Ching, lines of the same polarity repel each other while lines of the opposite polarity attract like magnets. Therefore, the key feature of this hexagram is that all of the yang lines seek to unite with the one yin line in the second place. The heart of nearly every hexagram, however, resides in the two middle lines of the trigrams that compose it: the fifth and the second. This means that in this hexagram the aim for fellowship, and the energy that goes into seeking it, is centred on the urge for these two lines to meet and unite.

The top and bottom lines are peripheral in this hexagram and have little overall influence. The bottom line, which holds together with the second, represents the first moves towards fellowship and the image is of someone standing at their gate, open to the approach of others as they pass by. The top line, which has no relationship of either correspondence or holding together with any of the others, and is far from the yin line which is sought by all of the yang lines, is out of the game, so to speak. It is on the edge of the city and is open to others but has no intimate relationships. Its fellowship is abstract and impersonal. No blame is attached, however, to either of these lines: the openness of mind is there and it is not their fault if their wishes are never realised in full.

All the focus in this hexagram is on the four central lines and on the battle between the three yang lines to form a close relationship with the yin line. Those in the third and fourth places are seen as rivals to the fifth and an obstacle to its eventual coming together with the second. Yet despite the opposition and the difficulty, this union is delayed but eventually takes place.

The third line offers the strongest challenge to the union of fifth and second. It is contiguous with the yin in second place and holds together with it. However, its link to the second is nowhere near as strong or as natural as that of the fifth line, so it is too weak to launch a direct attack. As a result, it hides its weapons in a thicket (disguises its intentions) and climbs a hill from where it plans to mount a future assault. This line is wracked with frustration: it is like a suitor who seeks marriage but knows that the heart of the person he desires is bound to someone else. Eventually it must give up the fight, although it will be a long time before it admits defeat.

The fourth line similarly gives up the fight, but finds doing this much easier. Firstly, it is in a yin place which softens its yang determination and makes it less stubborn; secondly, although it has a place in the same nuclear trigram, it is not contiguous with the second line and stands in a different primary trigram. Therefore, while the third line climbs a hill in preparation for an attack, this line climbs on a wall, which suggests less obduracy in its desire to assail its opponent. It willingly surrenders and this eventually leads to good fortune.

The line in the second place is very interesting. Although it is correct – a yin line in a yin place – and corresponds to the unbroken line in the fifth, its augury is negative if we receive it as a moving line. It represents ‘fellowship with men in the clan’. The implication is that it is too passive and short-sighted to accept the advances of the fifth line, preferring to remain in the safety of the lower trigram: the questioner is being pusillanimous. The Judgment of this hexagram as a whole advises ‘crossing the great water’, which in this case means making a decisive step to achieve union, but this line is too timorous or complacent to attempt that.

The fifth line confidently foretells the successful realisation of the potential for union within the hexagram. The opposition to its coming together with the line in the second place is overcome and fellowship is achieved. The Comments on this moving line contain a poem, sometimes alleged to be the words of Confucius himself,  which have what can seem a most un-Confucian tone: the words of the two people who have united ‘are sweet and strong, like the fragrance of orchids’. Union is attained.

This makes me want to counsel against interpreting this hexagram in an overly romantic way. The hexagram that directly deals with romantic and sexual attraction  is #31, Influence, while the one that engages with the formal steps of courtship and marriage is #53, Development. In many non-western cultures (and historical western cultures), marriage has largely been seen as a contract between two people in preparation to build a family rather than the coming together of two people in love. This hexagram, Fellowship, may therefore apply more to friendship, or a meeting of kindred souls, something which was highly valued in many earlier cultures, including the Greek. Also, in this hexagram, as always in the I Ching, the text can be interpreted in a political and social context, unlike in the west, where the interpretation of ‘paranormal’ tools like the I Ching or the Tarot has focused almost exclusively on the spiritual growth of the individual.

As Wilhelm points out, if this hexagram as a whole concerns the search for universal fellowship, it actually fails: the culmination of the ideal of the hexagram which takes place in the fifth line is limited and personal. Just as we began outside our gate open to the approach of others, we end up on the borders of the city open to a wider fellowship, but universal fellowship never arrives. Perhaps this could serve as a message for us in a modern world where we may have hundreds of ‘friends’ on social media: true friendship is always intimate and restricted to a few people. And perhaps there are limits to our political ability to forge global relations.