Difference to One: A Nuanced Early Chinese Account of Tong

The graph Tongand its associated concepts, such as da-tong (Great Tong) and xuan-tong (mystic or dark Tong), have played important roles in the development of Chinese philosophy. Yet Tong has received scant attention from either western or eastern scholarships. This paper is a first attempt to remedy such regret. Unlike usual understandings of Tong as sameness or unity, this paper presents a nuanced account from early China, that is, ‘difference to one,’ a definition from the Mozi. This definition can be supported from etymological, textual, and lexical evidence. ‘Difference to one’ should not be solely attributed to a Mohist understanding; it in fact represents a common understanding of Tong across philosophical streams in early China. This nuanced account provides new insights into the concept of Tong in early philosophical texts, and furthermore breaks solid grounds for further studies of Tong and its associated concepts.