Subject; citizen — people who belong to a state or are subjects of a sovereign. A formal or literary term, historically used; 'kokumin' (citizen) is more common today.
近代以前は一般に人民を臣民と呼んだ時代があった。
There was a time before modernity when people were generally called 'subjects' (臣民).
現代では『国民』という表現が一般的で、臣民はやや古い語だ。
In modern times the term 'kokumin' (citizen) is common; 'shinmin' (subject) sounds somewhat old-fashioned.