Imagery of Weapons
Lao-Tzu uses sensory details of weapons to distinguish between those who would celebrate them and those who do not. This imagery powers his train of thought that leads the first class of people to mistaken self-perception as positive.
Imagery of Tao
Lao-Tzu provides imagery for the Tao and Te in order to depict the nuanced, poetic concepts which are described subtly and mostly in relation to other, more understood things. The imagery of the Tao lets the reader develop a sense of how one may follow it without attempting to follow it in the wrong way, which results in the full loss of Tao in one's life.
Imagery of Society
Lao-Tzu distinguishes those who walk the path of Tao from the rest of society by stratifying this society with imagery. He begins with sensory terms for the fractured government, proceeds to images of disregard in the fields, and proceeds to the gaudy trappings of nobles, which still do not adhere to Tao.
Imagery of Valleys
Lao Tzu presents Chiang hai - he places the concept of Tao spatially with the sense of motion of streams. These seek the natural contours of a mountain's valleys, and the rushing water does so naturally. They rule the mountains without the intent to do so. This imagery lets Lao Tzu provide a praxis for those who would interact strongly in the world yet want to abide by the Tao.
