his courageous defiance of the government他对政府的大胆反抗

a gesture of defiance蔑视的姿态

People took to the streets in defiance of the curfew.人们无视宵禁, 走上街头。

Plans for tougher rules met with defiance.实施更加严格规定的计划遭到了反对。

Shaking a stick at somebody is a threatening gesture, or at least one of defiance.向他人挥动棍子是一种威胁的举动, 或者至少是一种挑衅。