To really "get" the Tao Te Ching, I think you have to study Zen and Buddhism. Without getting an intuitive understanding of abstract phrases, talking about things with metaphors, stuff like emptyness and "the way" you're really not going to get anything out of it. You also need to have worked to master some craft or art form.

But once you do understand those things, the ideas in the Tao Te Ching are almost common sense. Stuff any somewhat wise person would understand immediately. You can pick any random line out of it and apply to almost any discipline or situation.

Its all really just a collection of basic worldly wisdom, that you would encounter doing anything if you put genuine effort into it.

Hell, take any art composition class and you can see most ideas in the Tao Te Ching applied literally. This is because in art, things like form, balance and emptyness are all basic building blocks to design