1. Protect what remains · 象曰：山附地上，剝；上以厚下安宅。
Stripping Away is a phase when old supports are gradually eroded.
剥是旧的支撑逐步被侵蚀的阶段。
A family returns to an old house after years of storms. The porch tilts, the bed frame softens, and the orchard bears one last fruit.
连续多年风雨后，一家人回到老屋。 门廊倾斜，床架发软，果园里只剩一颗果子。
The Image gives us a clue: Mountain rests upon Earth: Stripping Away. Those above make those below substantial, securing their dwelling. We will read the six lines from the ground upward.
象曰：山附地上，剝；上以厚下安宅。 我们从下往上读六爻，看看处境怎样一步步变化。
2. Protect the base · 剝床以足，蔑貞凶。
The first crack appears in the bed's foot. Neglect the base, and the place meant for rest will soon fail.
床脚先裂，安睡之所已动摇；根基的小坏若不管，后面就会塌。
At the old house, a young carpenter kneels by the bed and finds the foot has splintered. The family wants to ignore it and sleep there anyway. If they disregard basic safety, an ordinary night can turn dangerous.
在老屋里，年轻的木匠跪在床边，发现床脚已经开裂。家人却想不管它，照旧睡上去。若忽视最基本的安全原则，平常的一夜也可能变得危险。
Erosion begins at the lowest support. What basic support might you be tempted to ignore?
有什么最基本的支撑，你正想忽略？
3. Hold the line · 剝床以辨，蔑貞凶。
The split reaches the bed's middle rail, and help is still scarce. This is no longer a flaw at the edge.
裂痕延到床身中段，援手仍少；腐蚀已深入，不能当边角小事。
Inside, the homeowner studies a cracked central bed rail. The mattress dips when anyone rolls over, and no relative can help this week. With little support, the family must mark a clear line: no one sleeps there until the rail is braced.
屋里，房主仔细查看中间开裂的床梁。有人翻身，床垫就下陷，而这周没有亲戚能来帮忙。缺少外援时，家人更要划清界线：床梁加固前，谁都不能睡这张床。
The problem has moved inward. Where do you need a clear boundary when support is thin?
当外援很少时，你需要在哪件事上划清界线？
4. Remove the rot · 剝之，無咎。
One rotten board is lifted out instead of being left among the sound ones. Separation can keep the rest standing.
先取出腐烂的木板，不让它拖垮好木；该割舍时，分开反而无咎。
On the porch, a board is soft with rot. The family debates saving it to match the old look. Instead, they pry it out and set it aside. Removing what has already failed, and separating from a structure that cannot hold, brings no blame.
门廊上，一块木板已经腐软。家人争论要不要留住它，以保持原来的样子。最后他们把它撬下，放到一旁。拆掉已经失效的部分，离开撑不住的结构，并没有过错。
Remove what has become rotten. What rotten piece are you keeping only for appearances?
有什么已经腐坏的东西，你只是为了面子才留着？
5. Danger is close · 剝床以膚，凶。
The bed frame gives way beneath the sleeper. When decay reaches the body, danger is immediate rather than theoretical.
床架已经逼近卧者身体；剥落到了眼前，再不能当远处的风险。
That night, a sleeper wakes when the damaged frame presses through the bedding. The danger is no longer a distant inspection note. If the family keeps treating the bed as usable, someone will be hurt. They move the mattress to the floor and close the room.
那一夜，睡觉的人被损坏的床架透过被褥顶醒。危险不再是检查单上遥远的一行。若家人仍把这张床当作能用，迟早会有人受伤。他们把床垫移到地上，暂时封了房间。
Erosion has reached the surface near the body; risk can no longer be treated as distant. What risk have you been treating as distant that has now come close?
有什么风险你一直当作很远，如今却已逼近？
6. Keep order in decline · 貫魚，以宮人寵，無不利。
Even in decline, attendants line up and provisions are arranged. Careful order protects what remains inside.
局势在退，侍从和物资仍安排有序；守住内部，才能护住剩下的力量。
In the community kitchen, a coordinator hangs a string of fish and serves the waiting volunteers in a neat line. Each gets a share, and the children eat first. Even while the house is in decline, arranging people and resources with care for the inside makes the difficult days workable.
在社区厨房里，协调人挂起一串鱼，让等候的志愿者排成整齐的一列。每人分到一份，孩子先吃。即使老屋仍在衰败，把人和资源安排有序，先照顾好内部，艰难的日子也能运转。
Even in decline, arrange people and resources in order and care for the inside; then nothing is unfavourable. How can you bring order and care to those inside your circle?
你可以怎样让圈内的人与资源有序、被照顾？
7. Preserve the seed · 碩果不食，君子得輿，小人剝廬。
One ripe fruit remains on a bare branch, ready to seed a new season. Those who preserve it still have a future to carry.
光枝上留下一枚熟果，能成为下一季的种子；护住它，便护住转机。
On the bare orchard branch, one large fruit is left unpicked; the family saves its seed. Neighbors bring a cart to carry the salvaged timber to a safer plot. A cousin who sold the good boards for quick cash later finds his own shed stripped. The upright receive support; the destroyer loses shelter.
光秃的果树枝头，留着一颗没摘的大果子；家人保存它的种子。邻居推来一辆车，把救下的木料运到更安全的宅基地。一个把好木板换快钱的亲戚，后来发现自己的棚屋也被拆空。正直者得到承载，破坏者终失居所。
The fruit left uneaten becomes a seed for renewal. What seed are you preserving, and what support are you building for renewal?
你正保留什么种子，又在为新生搭建什么支撑？
8. What foundation needs attention now? · 剝，不利有攸往。
When foundations loosen, expansion and forcing forward increase loss.
当根基正在松动，扩张和硬闯会加剧损失。
It is not a time for rash advance, but for limiting loss, securing the foundation, and preserving what can grow again.
它不利贸然前进，适合止损、安顿根基，并保存能再生的种子。
Ask yourself: Where is an old support quietly weakening, and what must you protect before you try to advance?
不妨问自己：哪里有一处旧支撑正在悄悄变弱，在试图前进之前你必须先保住什么？
