The concept of "harmony without uniformity" emerged long ago in ancient China, and it can be said to be typical Chinese philosophical wisdom. "Harmony without difference" originated from "Guoyu·Zheng Yu" earlier, "Husbands and real creatures, if they are the same, they will not continue. To equalize others is called harmony, so they can grow and things will return; if they are the same, the benefits will be the same. "It is abandoned"; "Earth is mixed with metal, wood, water and fire to make hundreds of things"; "The five flavors are harmonized to regulate the mouth, the four branches are strengthened to protect the body, the six rhythms are harmonized to listen to the ears, and the seven bodies are straightened to control the heart"; There is no sound to be heard, no object to be written, no taste to be fruitful, no thing to be spoken of” [1]. What is talked about here is that the combination of metal, wood, water, fire and earth creates all things, the five tastes of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty satisfy people's tastes, the harmonization of the six kinds of music is pleasing to the ear, and the seven orifices are straightened to serve the mind. It means that multiple factors cooperate and coordinate with each other to form new things or achieve desired effects. On the contrary, only one sound cannot be called beautiful music, only one color cannot constitute a colorful scene, and only one taste cannot be called delicious. In other words, only by allowing different things to exist can a colorful, prosperous and upward situation be formed; otherwise, it will fall into a situation of monotony, boredom and even death. Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, has a famous saying: "The gentleman is harmonious but different; the villain is harmonious but not harmonious."

In the pre-Qin era, "harmony" was a very important concept. There is difference and unity in diversity, so it is different from "sameness". For example, cooking must combine sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty to reach a state where the five flavors are complete and taste beyond salty and sour, in order to be considered a top-quality delicacy; music, for example, must combine Gong, Shang, and Jiao. Only when , Yu, and Yu are combined together to reach a state where the five-note sound is heard outside the palace and Shang, can it be regarded as a high-quality music: On the contrary, if those who like salty people just add salt, and those who like sour people pour vinegar desperately, Those who love the palace reject Shang and Jiao, while those who love Shang do not use Yu and Yu. The consequences are not difficult to imagine, but also unimaginable. Therefore, Yan Ying, who was earlier than Confucius, once said: "If you use water to save water, who can eat it? If you focus on the harp and harp, who can listen to it?" ("Zuo Zhuan·The 20th Year of Zhaogong") It was in this era that On the basis of this thought, Confucius introduced the difference between "harmony" and "tong" into the thinking of interpersonal relationships, which led to the sentence in "The Analects of Confucius·Zilu".

The so-called "harmony without difference" means that a gentleman can maintain a harmonious and friendly relationship with others in interpersonal communication, but he does not have to agree with each other on specific issues; "Disharmony" means that villains are accustomed to catering to other people's views on issues and echoing other people's opinions. But deep down, he does not have a harmonious and friendly attitude. In daily life, it is normal for people to hold different views on a certain issue. A true friend should gain knowledge through exchanging opinions and communicating thoughts; even if the thoughts cannot be unified temporarily, it will not hurt the harmony, and the test of time can prove whose opinion is more correct; therefore, between true gentlemen, Communication does not seek to be consistent at all times; on the contrary, it is to tolerate each other's independent opinions and not to hide one's own different opinions, which can be regarded as sincere and sincere. However, this is not the case for those little people who work hard. They either hide their thoughts, or they have no thoughts at all. They only know what others say and act according to the wind; what's more, they follow the same party and oppose those who are different. People draw the line: all opinions of "friends" must be defended, even if they are wrong; all opinions of "enemies" must be opposed, even if they are right. In this way, different circles are drawn between people and different gangs are formed. The true meaning of "friend" is lost.