These concepts refer to different degrees of commonalities and differences. Hui Shi (370?-310?BC) first proposed the concepts of “major commonality and difference” and “minor commonality and difference.” He felt that there could be big commonalities and small differences, or small commonalities and big differences between things. However, these are only relative commonality and difference, and they are “minor commonality and difference.” On the other hand, at a fundamental level, all things can be said to be alike, and they can also be said to be different. From the maximally large“largest one”to the minimally small“smallest one,”things always differ in size–this is the “ultimate difference”between them. Yet both the “largest one” and the “smallest one”are also“one”–this is the“ultimate commonality”of all things. It is the“ultimate commonality”and the “ultimate difference”that form the “major commonality and difference.”

There are big commonalities and small differences, or small commonalities and big differences between things, and these are known as the “minor commonality and difference.” When things are totally identical or totally different, this is known as the “major commonality and difference.” (Zhuangzi)