Fellowship Hexagram First Line: New to Work, How to Quickly Find Reliable People

When you first join a new company, don’t you just want to fit in as quickly as possible?

You say hi to everyone, add people on WeChat, volunteer to run errands for others,主动凑上去一起吃饭 at lunchtime, and rush to speak up in meetings to show what you’re made of. You’re terrified people will think you’re a loner, unsociable, or hard to get along with.

But have you ever stopped to think — among all these people you’re so eager to meet, which ones will actually help you, and which will drag you down? Which are your real fellow travelers, and which are just smooth-talking old hands who only seem warm?

The Nine at the Beginning (初九) of the Fellowship (天火同人) hexagram is all about how to find your first group of right partners when you’re just starting out.

Fellowship at the Gate: Meeting the Right People the Moment You Step Out

The Line Text (Yao Ci) for the Nine at the Beginning is simple — 「同人于门，无咎。」 (Fellowship at the gate. No blame.)

The "gate" here means your doorstep, the moment you step out, the very beginning stage. "Fellowship at the gate" means that as soon as you start out, begin a new task, or enter a new environment, you’ll meet like-minded people.

"No blame (无咎)" means there’s nothing wrong with this — you won’t make mistakes or step into pitfalls.

Why does the Nine at the Beginning carry "no blame"? Because it’s the first Line (Yao) of the Fellowship hexagram: a Yang Line (solid —) at the very bottom, in a low, junior position. But since it’s a Yang Line, it shows the person is upright, proactive, and eager to get things done. When an honest person first starts out, if they can team up with equally upright people, of course nothing major will go wrong.

But if you think about it carefully — the key to "Fellowship at the gate" isn’t "fellowship," it’s "the gate."

What’s a gate? It’s a boundary, an entrance, the first filter. Not just anyone can walk through your gate, and you don’t have to travel the same road as everyone you meet. When you first step out, you know only a limited number of people and have limited choices. At this stage, it’s right to build good relationships with the people around you and find a few reliable ones to walk with.

But don’t rush to expand your network. Don’t add everyone on WeChat the second you start the job, and don’t pour your heart out to every person you meet. First, get a clear picture of the people inside your "gate." As for those outside? Take your time getting to know them.

The mistake many new hires make is being in too much of a hurry. When they arrive somewhere new, they’re so scared of being left out that as soon as someone says a few words or gives them a smile, they treat that person like a friend. What happens next? They meet the wrong people, pick the wrong side, and get used as a pawn.

Why does the Nine at the Beginning bring no blame? Because it stays by the gate, doesn’t go running off everywhere, and first focuses on building good relationships with the reliable people right beside it. Take it step by step, and you won’t make big mistakes.

Three Types of People to Seek Out When You First Start a Job

When you enter a new environment, you definitely need to meet people. But don’t meet people randomly — focus on specific types.

The first type is the person who shows you the ropes. This could be your direct manager, your mentor, or a senior employee sitting next to you. This person is your first window into understanding the company, the industry, and your role. Building a good relationship with them will save you from a lot of detours. They’ll tell you which pitfalls to avoid, which people not to cross, and how to handle certain tasks. If you had to figure all that out on your own with no one to teach you, it could take half a year.

But here’s what to watch out for: the person who shows you the ropes isn’t necessarily your fellow traveler. They might just be kind, or they might have their own agenda. You can learn from them, but don’t rush to pick a side or tie yourself to them. Observe first, get to know them, figure out their position in the company and what kind of person they are, then decide how close you want to be.

The second type is people who joined the company at the same time as you. You start together, train together, and build everything from scratch together. You’re on the same starting line, in the same situation, with no conflicts of interest — it’s easiest to build pure relationships with these people. They often become your first real friends at work. Later, as you each develop your careers, you might even be able to help each other out someday.

But don’t get too close either. People who start at the same time will inevitably develop at different paces — some will get promoted fast, others slow. When that happens, the dynamic gets tricky. Stay in touch, but don’t tie your fortunes together.

The third type is the person everyone says is reliable. Every company has one or two people with a great reputation — everyone who mentions them says, "They’re great," "Reliable," "You can count on them." Find a way to meet and get close to people like this. If you’re friends with reliable people, you won’t be too bad yourself. Plus, reliable people usually surround themselves with other reliable people, so through them you can meet even more.

As for people who seem extra warm, call you "brother" or "buddy" on day one, and gossip about everyone and everything? Stay far away. If they’ll badmouth other people to you today, they’ll badmouth you to other people tomorrow.

Three Ways to Tell If Someone Is Reliable

When you first meet someone, how do you judge if they’re reliable? Don’t jump to conclusions — observe three things.

First, see how they talk about other people. How someone speaks about others behind their back says more about their character than anything else. If all they do is complain, rant, and badmouth people, they’re small-minded and narrow-hearted — stay away. If they talk about others objectively, without putting people down or gossiping, and can even acknowledge other people’s strengths, they’re usually upright and decent, and worth befriending.

Second, see how they handle small matters. Don’t judge people by big events — everyone can put on a show for those. Watch the small stuff: do they keep the promises they make to others? Do they pay back money they borrow? Are they on time to meetings? How do they treat service staff? People who are reliable in small things will most likely be reliable in big things too. People who are sloppy and don’t keep their word over small matters? You can forget about counting on them for anything important.

Third, see how they act when things go wrong. Everyone’s polite and friendly when everything’s going smoothly — you can’t tell much from that. But when trouble hits, when there’s a conflict of interest, when pressure piles on? That’s when a person’s true nature comes out. People who shift blame the second something goes wrong? Don’t be friends with them. People who run and hide at the first sign of trouble? Don’t get too close. People who step up, take responsibility, and even pull you up when things get hard? Those are the ones to keep close.

Don’t listen to what they say — watch what they do. Don’t just look at how they treat you — look at how they treat everyone else.

After observing for a while, you’ll have a pretty good idea.

Networking Isn’t About Adding People on WeChat — It’s About Being Able to Help Each Other

A lot of new hires think networking means adding people on WeChat or LinkedIn, joining a bunch of groups, and going to every dinner party. They collect stacks of business cards and add thousands of WeChat friends, thinking they’ve got a huge network.

Then when you actually need help with something, you realize — none of those people are useful.

Why? Because that’s not a network — that’s just a list of people you’ve met. What’s a real network? It’s people who are willing to help you when you’re in need, and people you can help in return. It’s mutual, equal, and based on value exchange.

You’re a new hire, just starting out, you don’t know anything and you don’t have anything to offer — what are you going to exchange with these people? You think if you add a big shot on WeChat, they’ll take you under their wing? Why would they?

So when you’re just starting out, don’t fixate on building a network. First, do your own job well. When your skills are strong, when you’re reliable, when you can bring value to other people — your network will grow naturally.

"Fellowship at the gate" — first handle the things right at your own gate. Do the work in front of you excellently, get along well with the few people around you, and lay a solid foundation. When you stand firm on your own two feet, people will naturally want to walk the same road as you.

If you can’t hold your own, it doesn’t matter how many people you know — it’s useless.

Wen Laoshi often says: The essence of networking is what value you can provide to others. If you have value, you’ll have lots of friends. If you don’t have value, knowing everyone in the world won’t do you any good.

When You’re Just Starting Out, Don’t Pick the Wrong Side

One of the biggest pitfalls new hires fall into is getting pulled into taking sides right after they start.

Every company has factions, cliques, different camps. Senior employees each have their own little fiefdoms, and as soon as a new person walks in, someone will try to pull you over to their side.

When this happens, don’t rush to take a stance. Don’t pick either side, don’t offend anyone, stay neutral, and focus on doing your job well first.

Why? Because you just got here — you have no idea how deep the waters run. You might think you’re joining the winning team, only for that whole group to fall apart two months later. You might think the person who’s nice to you is reliable, only to find out they’re just using you.

For a new hire, picking the wrong side once can set you back for years.

Why does the Nine at the Beginning only talk about "fellowship at the gate"? Because when you’re just starting out, your sphere of activity is just that small area by the gate. Just tend to your own little patch of ground, get along well with the people around you, but don’t get dragged into drama.

Wait until you’ve found your footing, figured out how things work, and formed your own judgment — then you can decide who to align with and who to keep at arm’s length.

In the workplace, running fast is important, but running in the right direction is even more important. If you pick the wrong side, the faster you run, the worse you’ll crash.

Final Thoughts

In your first few years in the workplace, the most important thing isn’t how many people you know — it’s finding a few reliable people.

One or two senior colleagues who can teach you things, a few peers who can grow with you, and a manager you can trust — that’s more than enough.

Don’t envy people who have friends everywhere. Having too many friends is exhausting. A few genuine ones are all you need.

Fellowship at the gate. No blame. Take it slow, take it one step at a time, get to know people one by one. First build good relationships with the people close to you, then reach further out.

When you’ve come a long way and look back, you’ll realize — the people who actually stick with you to the end usually aren’t the ones you rushed to meet at the very beginning. They’re the people who worked with you, stood by you through hard times, and grew alongside you.

Those are your real fellow travelers.