The lines
Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:
To spread white rushes underneath.
No blame.
When a man wishes to undertake an enterprise in extraordinary times, he must be extraordinarily cautious, just as when setting a heavy thing down on the floor, one takes care to put rushes under it, so that nothing will break. This caution, though it may seem exaggerated, is not a mistake. Exceptional enterprises cannot succeed unless utmost caution is observed in their beginnings and in the laying of their foundations.
Nine in the second place means:
A dry poplar sprouts at the root.
An older man takes a young wife.
Everything furthers.
Wood is near water; hence the image of an old poplar sprouting at the root. This means an extraordinary situation arises when an older man marries a young girl who suits him. Despite the unusualness of the situation, all goes well.
From the point of view of politics, the meaning is that in exceptional times one does well to join with the lowly, for this affords a possibility of renewal.
Nine in the third place means:
The ridge-pole sags to the breaking point.
Misfortune.
This indicates a type of man who in times of preponderance of the great insists on pushing ahead. He accepts no advice from others, and therefore they in turn are not willing to lend him support. Because of this the burden grows, till the structure of things bends or breaks. Plunging wilfully ahead in times of danger only hastens the catastrophe.
Nine in the fourth place means:
The ridge-pole is braced. Good fortune.
If there are ulterior motives, it is humiliating.
Through friendly relations with people of lower rank, a responsible man succeeds in becoming master of the situation. But if, instead of working for the rescue of the whole, he were to misuse his connections to obtain personal power and success, it would lead to humiliation.
Nine in the fifth place means:
A withered poplar puts forth flowers.
An older woman takes a husband.