The word 俘虏 is formed through the semantic combination of two characters, each contributing a related meaning to create a single concept. The first character, 俘 (fú), primarily carries the sense of "to capture" or "a prisoner". The second character, 虏 (lǔ), reinforces and expands this idea with meanings of "to plunder", "to enslave", or "a captive". Together, they form a compound where the action and result are merged, solidifying the overall meaning of "to take prisoner" or "captive", effectively depicting both the act of seizing and the resulting state of the seized.