Nine in the fifth place means:
Standstill is giving way.
Good fortune for the great man.
\"What if it should fail, what if it should fail?\"
In this way he ties it to a cluster of mulberry shoots.
The time undergoes a change. The right man, able to restore order, has arrived. Hence \"good fortune.\" But such periods of transition are the very times in which we must fear and tremble. Success is assured only through greatest caution, which asks always,
\"What if it should fail?\"
When a mulberry bush is cut down, a number of unusually strong shoots sprout from the roots. Hence the image of tying something to a cluster of mulberry shoots is used to symbolise the way of making success certain. Kongfu (Kongfu (Confucius)) says about this line:
Danger arises when a man feels secure in his position. Destruction threatens when a man seeks to preserve his worldly estate. Confusion develops when a man has put everything in order. Therefore the superior man does not forget danger in his security, not ruin when he is well established, nor confusion when his affairs are in order. In this way he gains personal safety and is able to protect the empire.
Nine at the top means:
The standstill comes to an end.
First standstill, then good fortune.
The standstill does not last forever. However, it does not cease of its own accord; the right man is needed to end it. This is the difference between a state of peace and a state of stagnation. Continuous effort is necessary to maintain peace: left to itself it would change into stagnation and disintegration. The time of disintegration, however, does not change back automatically to a condition of peace and prosperity; effort must be put forth in order to end it. This shows the creative attitude that man must take if the world is to be put in order.