Verse 21: "Everyone's father"

孔德之容,
The big heart of virtue
惟道是從。
Follows from the Tao.
道之為物
The Tao interacts with things
惟恍惟惚。
in an indistinct way.
惚兮恍兮其中有象。
In this indistinct way, there are shapes.
恍兮惚兮其中有物。
In this indistinct way, there are objects.
窈兮冥兮其中有精。
In this deep darkness, there is an essence.
其精甚真。
This essence is very real
其中有信
and contains all the information in the universe.
自古及今
From past to present,
其名不去以閱眾甫。
the Name that does not disappear, is read as "everyone's father"
吾何以知眾甫之狀哉！
How can I ever understand the overwhelming greatness of "everyone's father"?
以此。
From this.

Comments
Here the Tao is explained as an all-encompassing force that envelopes everything in the universe. Its essence has all the signs and information of everything from past to present. Human beings have difficulty comprehending its total greatness, which that makes it even greater.

This bears a lot of similarity to Christianity where man is unable to understand the will of God, making the Heavenly Father more great. Only difference here is, Laozi has written elsewhere that the Tao can also be female.