反はん骨こつの精せい神しん

Meanings

backbone; spirit of defiance; unyielding spirit

Refers to a strong, independent mindset that refuses to submit to authority or conform. Often used in positive contexts to describe someone with moral courage and a rebellious, principled character.

彼かれは反はん骨こつの精せい神しんを持もって、上じょう司しの不ふ正せいに立たち向むかった。
With a spirit of defiance, he stood up to his boss's wrongdoing.
反はん骨こつの精せい神しんを忘わすれずに、自じ分ぶんの信しん念ねんを貫つらぬきたい。
I want to stick to my beliefs without losing my rebellious spirit.

Kanji

反anti-
骨skeleton, bone, remains
精refined, ghost, fairy
神gods, mind, soul
叛disobey, defy, go back on

Related words

反はん骨こつ
反骨 alone means 'rebellious spirit' or 'unyielding character'. 反骨の精神 is a set phrase emphasizing the mental attitude or spirit of defiance.
気き骨こつ
気骨 also means 'backbone' or 'moral courage', but it lacks the rebellious nuance of 反骨. 気骨 is more about fortitude and integrity.

Built from

反はん骨こつ+精せい神しん

Written forms

反はん骨こつの精せい神しん
Standard kanji spelling. 反骨 means 'rebellious spirit' or 'unyielding character'.
叛はん骨こつの精せい神しん
Variant using 叛 (rebel) instead of 反. Less common; may carry a stronger connotation of treason or revolt.

Etymology

Compound of 反骨 (rebellious spirit, from 反 'anti-' + 骨 'bone') and 精神 (spirit, mind). The phrase literally means 'the spirit of a rebellious bone', metaphorically describing an unyielding character.