Daodejing Chapter 32 breakdown: sweet dew drops will fall

Chapter 32 of the Daodejing invites you to explore the power and simplicity of the Dao and to reflect on the limitations of language and the artificial divisions it creates. Only by aligning with the Dao can a ruler and his lords create a stable and just society in which everyone lives together happily and peacefully. Once the Dao is abandoned, confusion and even conflict replace the former stability and calm.

Section 1
The Dao has no name.
Although the uncarved block is small,
No one in all-under-heaven
Can subordinate it.

The chapter begins with a reminder that the Dao cannot be adequately described or captured in words. It is full of such simplicity and potential that it is like an uncarved block of wood, yet it is so powerful and elusive that it cannot be conquered or controlled by anyone in the world.

Section 2
If nobles and kings hold fast to it,
The myriad things will submit
Of their own accord.
Heaven and earth will unite,
Sweet dew drops will fall.
The people will live in harmony,
Without anyone ordering them to.

If a ruler and his lords align themselves with the Dao, they will bring about a spontaneous state of harmony and prosperity where everything falls into place naturally rather than being forced or controlled. Heaven and earth will come together to produce sweet drops of dew, and the people will live in peace and contentment.

Section 3
Once the whole
Is split apart,
Names appear.
Once there are names,
Know when to stop.
Knowing when to stop
Keeps you safe from harm.

Without the Dao, society becomes divided and the ruler has to give everything a name so that his people can identify different objects and know what is permitted and forbidden. As the number of names proliferates, a materialistic culture is fuelled by the proliferation of arbitrary desires for an ever more lavish lifestyle.

By knowing when to put an end to this cycle, the ruler keeps everyone safe from the harm that can arise from excessive division and categorization.

Section 4
The Dao is
To all-under-heaven,
As the rivers and oceans are
To the streams and brooks.

The chapter concludes by depicting the relationship between the Dao and the world. Just as rivers and oceans are the larger bodies of water that streams and brooks flow into, the Dao is the vast, encompassing reality that all individual aspects of the world are part of. As the source of existence, everything ultimately returns to the Dao and is sustained and nourished by it.

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Daodejing Chapter 32: The Dao has no name