初生 literally combines 初 (chū), meaning 'first' or 'beginning', and 生 (shēng), meaning 'to be born' or 'life'. Together, they form a compound noun meaning 'newborn' or 'newly born'—emphasizing the very first stage of life. It is commonly used to describe infants, hatchlings, or newborn animals, often in formal, literary, or descriptive contexts rather than casual speech.

The term carries a gentle, slightly poetic tone and appears frequently in biology, veterinary texts, parenting resources, and nature documentaries. While it can technically refer to humans, it’s more typical for animals (e.g., a litter of puppies) or metaphorical uses (e.g., 'the初生 stage of a project'), though such metaphors are rare and marked. It is not used for inanimate objects or abstract concepts without clear biological birth imagery.