Friends & money lenders

The usual Chinese word for 'friend' is pengyou 朋友. Both characters occur seperately in the Yi, and they both have their own meanings.

The old form of peng 朋 shows two strings of money. In the early days the character was used as a measure word for money, and in this meaning it is still used in 42-2. This character has more a business-like meaning, namely that of donor or money lender. Later on this was broadened to 'friends', but still with a business connotation.

The old form of you 友 depicts two hands which point in the same direction: a symbol of help, bonding, friendship.

Peng 朋 occurs 9 times in the Yi (2-0, 11-2, 16-4, 24-0, 31-4, 39-5, 40-4, 41-5, 42-2). 11-2 is amusing to mention here. It says here:

朋亡。得尚于中行。

Han Boering translates this as "Do not count on comrades. You are being honoured if you keep to the middle". But today 中行 (with 行 in a different pronunciation, I must add) also means 'The People's Bank of China'. If we read peng 朋 as 'money lender', then the translation becomes: "you lose a money lender, but will find esteem at the People's Bank of China'.

You 友 only occurs once in the Yi, namely at 41-3, and the context shows we are dealing with real friends here:

三人行。則損一人。一人行。則得其友。

"Three men walking. Therefore reduction with one person. One person walking. Therefore he gets a friend."

A threesome, it is always difficult. Before you know it you have troubles. Only when you are alone you will find your true friend.