Rare, formal term for a person taken as a slave or captive, typically in historical or military contexts. Not used in modern everyday language.
Ancient documents contain records of captives taken in battle.
Compound of 被 (ひ, 'suffer, receive') + 虜 (りょ, 'captive') + 人 (にん, 'person'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning 'captive person' or 'slave'.