Not firm: describe a position, viewpoint, proposition, etc. That is unswerving.
Perseverance: tenacity: soft and strong. La: Move. Describe firm belief, tenacious will and unshakable.
Self-improvement: describe your conscious efforts to make progress, never taking a break and never relaxing.
Gather sand into a tower: gather fine sand into a tower. Originally refers to children's tower-stacking game. After metaphor, many a mickle makes a mickle.
Many a mickle makes a mickle: set: gather; Axillary hair: the hair under the armpit of a fox. The fox has small hair under his arm; But together they can be made into leather clothes. Metaphor makes a mickle.
Perseverance: persistence: maintaining and persisting; Constant: perseverance. Stick to it for a long time.
Go all out: go: go. Go all out.
Advance despite difficulties: knowing difficulties, but daring to advance. Face difficulties.
Invincible: describe the power is very powerful, and nothing solid can't be destroyed.
Retreat after knowing difficulties: Generally speaking, when you see something unfavorable to yourself in a battle, you should retreat. Now refers to fear of difficulties, flinch.
Mediocrity: mediocrity does nothing.
One exposure and ten cold: exposure, exposure. The original intention is that even the most easily growing plants can't grow after a day of sun exposure and ten days of freezing. Metaphor study or work hard, lazy, no perseverance. Also known as "one violence and ten cold".
Inclination: one inch forward and one foot backward. It means that if you get less, you lose more, that is, you lose more than you gain.
A beginning without an end: a beginning without an end. Refers to not doing things to the end.
Give up halfway: give up halfway, give up halfway; Stop, stop. The road stopped halfway. Metaphor business unfinished achievement to stop, didn't do well.
The meaning of words can be found in Baidu Encyclopedia.