小生 is a role type in traditional Chinese opera, specifically the young male scholar or student character. It is also used as a humble first-person pronoun in classical-style writing and speech, typically by a young male addressing an elder or authority figure, carrying the same self-deprecating tone as 'your pupil' or 'I, the unworthy one'. In modern usage, the opera sense is more common, while the pronoun sense is limited to literary or theatrical contexts.