De: the Power of Virtue

The second word in Dao De Jing — de — means power or virtue, but not in the moral sense. De is the natural potency that flows from being aligned with the Dao. A tree that grows according to its nature has de. A river that follows the terrain has de.

Humans lose de through forcing, striving, and pretending to be something they are not. You regain it by returning to naturalness — acting from genuine impulse rather than calculated self-presentation. The person with de does not try to be impressive. They are effective because they are genuine.