From "Zhu Zi Yu Lei"
The original sentence should be: In order to learn, you must first be determined. Once the ambition is established, learning can be focused on sequentially. Indeterminate determination will ultimately lead to no success.
Interpretation: No matter what you do, you must first set a high ambition. To be determined is to establish a foundation. If there is a foundation, there will be a path for development. Otherwise, like a headless fly, it will be difficult to achieve success in the end.
Extended information:
Examples:
Liu Gongquan, a great calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, had extraordinary talent in calligraphy since he was a child. His calligraphy is famous far and wide. He became complacent. Until one day he met an old man whose calligraphy was better than his. What surprised him even more was that the old man wrote with his feet.
From then on, Liu Gongquan practiced calligraphy diligently, studied with an open mind, and determined to become a first-class calligrapher. In the end, he got good calligraphy skills and became a great calligrapher of his generation.