Metaphorical meaning of 骨


Context: in the last round of a match, a boxer realizes his opponent is just
repeating the same combination over and over. I think 骨 in the following
sentence has a metaphorical meaning, but I don't know how to interpret it:

> 支えるのはもう… 剥き出した骨のみ

I think the general meaning of the sentence should be:

> The only thing that supports him... is now exposed.

[Here you can see](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RCEo8.jpg) the whole page for
more context. Thank you for your help!




I don't think this 骨 itself is metaphorical; it just says his body is
supported by his bones, literally and physically. Instead, 剥き出した ("bare",
"uncovered") is the tricky expression here. It's not a common expression at
all, but in this context, I feel it metaphorically describes how his body is
damaged and how his muscle is weakened. In other words, it's now only his bone
that keeps him standing, and everything else is (metaphorically) gone.

(In other contexts, 骨 by itself can be used metaphorically like English
"backbone". 骨のある人間 means "a person with backbone". See also
[気骨](https://jisho.org/search/%E6%B0%97%E9%AA%A8).)




I don't think this 骨 itself is metaphorical; it just says his body is
supported by his bones, literally and physically. Instead, 剥き出した ("bare",
"uncovered") is the tricky expression here. It's not a common expression at
all, but in this context, I feel it metaphorically describes how his body is
damaged and how his muscle is weakened. In other words, it's now only his bone
that keeps him standing, and everything else is (metaphorically) gone.

(In other contexts, 骨 by itself can be used metaphorically like English
"backbone". 骨のある人間 means "a person with backbone". See also
[気骨](https://jisho.org/search/%E6%B0%97%E9%AA%A8).)

