小白鼠
xiǎobáishǔ
The English phrase "guinea pig" can be translated into Chinese as 小白鼠 (xiǎobáishǔ) or 實驗品 / 实验品.
Meaning: experimental subject (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 小白鼠 | xiǎobáishǔ |
| 實驗品 / 实验品 | shíyànpǐn |
小白鼠 is frequently used in a metaphorical sense to describe a person who is the first to try something new or untested, such as a new product or a new policy.
Which one should you use?
小白鼠 is used colloquially to refer to a person used as a test subject, whereas 實驗品 / 实验品 is more clinical and literal.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is xiǎobáishǔ.
Did you know?
- While English uses 'guinea pig', the Chinese phrase 小白鼠 literally means 'little white mouse'. This reflects a different cultural association with laboratory animals used in early medical research.
- Unlike the clinical 實驗品, the phrase 小白鼠 can carry a slightly playful or self-deprecating tone. Someone might call themselves a 小白鼠 to sound humble or humorous when volunteering for a trial.
- In Chinese internet slang, people may use 小白鼠 to describe early beta testers of software or apps. It highlights the risk of encountering bugs before a wide release.
Examples in context
- 他在这个项目中成了小白鼠。Tā zài zhège xiàngmù zhōng chéngle xiǎobáishǔ.He became a guinea pig in this project.
- 别把我当成小白鼠来测试。Bié bǎ wǒ dàngchéng xiǎobáishǔ lái cèshì.Don't use me as a guinea pig for testing.
- 这种新药需要小白鼠先行试验。Zhè zhǒng xīnyào xūyào xiǎobáishǔ xiānxíng shìyàn.This new drug needs guinea pigs for initial testing.
Example conversation
Yu Ting and Jun Jie are discussing a new software update.
- 雨婷 Yuting这个新软件太不稳定了。Zhège xīn ruǎnjiàn tài bù wěndìng le.This new software is too unstable.
- 俊杰 Junjie你不想当小白鼠试用一下吗？Nǐ bù xiǎng dāng xiǎobáishǔ shìyòng yīxià ma?Don't you want to be a guinea pig and try it?
- 雨婷 Yuting我可不想当小白鼠。Wǒ kě bù xiǎng dāng xiǎobáishǔ.I certainly don't want to be a guinea pig.
- 俊杰 Junjie好吧，那我再研究研究。Hǎo ba, nà wǒ zài yánjiū yánjiū.Alright, then I will research it more.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guinea pig” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
