mindmap root((勇气)) fortitude stresses firmness in enduring physical or mental hardships and suffering: a trip that tested their ~. grits stresses unyielding resolution and indomitableness in the face of hardship or danger: ~ beyond her years. backbone emphasizes resoluteness of character and implies either ability to stand firm in the face of opposition or such determination or independence as requires no support from without: held their own as long as they kept their ~. pluck implies a willingness to fight or continue against odds: fought on with ~ and courage. guts considered by some to be not entirely polite, stresses fortitude and stamina and implies effectiveness and determination in facing and coping with what alarms or repels or discourages: lacked the ~ to pull it off.