Line by Line - Verse 29, Line 10

The store in ruins mocks our toil.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Sometimes one is up and sometimes down.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Either have ownership or take by force
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Sometimes you're up, and sometimes you're down.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Here's what Derek Lin has to say about this line.

Creatures that have ownership are the ones that occupy their own environmental niche. Creatures that take by force are the predators who survive by hunting prey.

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