noun
survival instinct
Refers to the innate drive to survive, often used in psychological, biological, or figurative contexts.
危険を感じたとき、生存本能が働く。
When you sense danger, your survival instinct kicks in.
彼は生存本能だけであの事故から生還した。
He survived that accident purely on survival instinct.
Compound of 生存 (せいぞん, 'survival') and 本能 (ほんのう, 'instinct').