Line by Line - Verse 32, Line 11

The relation of the Tao to all the world is like that of the great rivers and seas to the streams from the valleys.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Tao in the world is like a river flowing home to the sea.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The existence of the Tao in the world
Is like streams in the valley into rivers and the ocean
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Everything in the universe is full of Tao and leads to Tao,
just as the water in rivers flows into oceans.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Here is Derek Lin's summation of the last line and the verse as a whole.

This line is a recurring image in the Tao Te Ching: the streams in a valley flow together to form rivers and eventually pour into the ocean. This can represent all things returning to the Tao. It can also represent how we resonate powerfully with the Tao, and so gravitate toward it.

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