先来段英文的：

Icicle plots are usually horizontal, showing cases as rows and number of clusters in the solution as columns. If there are few cases, vertical icicle plots may plotted, with cases as columns. Reading from the last column right to left (horizontal icicle plots) or last row bottom to top (vertical icicle plots), the researcher can see how agglomeration proceeded. The last/bottom row will show all the cases in separate one-case clusters. This is the (n - 1) solution. The next-to-last/bottom column/row will show the (n-2) solution, with two cases combined into one cluster. Subsequent columns/rows show further clustering steps. Row 1 (vertical icicle plots) or column 1 (horizontal icicle plots) will show all cases in a single cluster. This is a visual way of representing information on the agglomeration schedule, but without the proximity coefficient information.

没看懂？没关系，因为我当时也没看懂~

来个中文的加解释：

变量合并过程的冰柱图如下。先是X3与X6合并，接着X1与X5合并，然后X3、X6与X2合并，接着再与X1、X5合并，最后加上X4，六个变量全部合并。

再看不懂得话，我就没办法了。

过段时间再来看吧，总会懂得~

看来搞科研也要缘分啊，机缘未到不会懂得的~