The reason rivers and seas are kings of the hundred valleys is that they are skilled at placing themselves below — and so all the waters of the world flow into them. The chapter's geography lesson is the Tao Te Ching's whole theory of authority: preeminence is not seized at the summit; it accumulates in the lowest place, where everything naturally converges.
The application is spelled out for anyone who leads: when the sage would be above the people, he must in his speech place himself below them; when he would go before them, he must in his person put himself behind. And the effect of such leadership is its own defence: standing above, he is no weight; going before, he does no harm — therefore all under heaven gladly push him forward and never tire of him. The closing repeats the book's competitive paradox at full strength: because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him. Positions taken by force must be held by force; the low place is simply given, and never revoked.
Key verses
The reason rivers and seas are able to be kings of the hundred valleys is that they are skilled at placing themselves below — and so they become kings of the hundred valleys. Therefore when the sage would be above the people, he must in his speech place himself below them; and when he would go before the people, he must in his person put himself behind them. In this way, when the sage stands above, the people do not feel his weight; when he goes before, the people feel no harm. Therefore all under heaven gladly push him forward and never tire of him. Because he does not compete, no one under heaven can compete with him.
Read Chapter 66 in full
Every verse with translation, word meanings, and commentary — free.
ઍપમાં મફત વાંચોપરંપરાઓને પૂછો
એક પ્રશ્ન। પાંચ પરંપરાઓના જવાબ।
એકાઉન્ટ વગર દર 24 કલાકે 2 પ્રશ્નો।