The *Huainanzi*, a famous eclectic work from China's history, was compiled by Liu An, the King of Huainan, a Western Han Dynasty thinker and writer, who gathered thousands of scholars over a decade to create it.
In *Huainanzi*, there is a chapter titled "Si Lun Xun" that discusses certain aspects of human development, aligning closely with materialist views. The text states:
Our ancestors once lived in caves and along riverbanks, wearing crude animal skins and leaves, enduring a harsh existence. Then, sages emerged, leading them to build shelters that shielded them from wind and rain, finally drawing them out of the caves.
Later, the sages taught people to cultivate crops and forge farming tools. Though they still used slash-and-burn methods, life became more stable and secure, marking a great leap forward for society.
As centuries passed, the sages established rites, music, and various rules, teaching people etiquette and self-discipline.
The article argues that society is constantly evolving, so ancient systems should be kept if they still serve the present, but abolished and replaced with new ones when they no longer fit.
The article concludes by explaining that just as all rivers eventually flow into the sea, society's development follows the same principle—every person's work may differ, but their shared goal is to pursue a better life, a truth perfectly captured by the idiom "a hundred rivers return to the sea."
Later, the idiom "All Rivers Flow to the Sea" came to symbolize an irresistible trend and the will of the people.
Source: *Huainanzi*, Chapter "Fanlun Xun"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "百川归海" came to describe an irresistible trend and the will of the people.