Meaning:

    “国民” means “national,” and “老公” is a Cantonese term addressing one’s husband. Literally translated as a “role model for Chinese husbands,” this term may have been derived from another term “国民媳妇” (national daughter-in-law), once used to address Chinese actress Hai Qing who portrayed several sister-in-law characters in popular TV series. However, the best-known “national husband” is Wang Sicong, son of real estate tycoon Wang Jianlin. The junior Wang is a popular figure on Sina Weibo with a following of nearly 20 million, many of whom are young women who call him “老公.” Recently, the term was also used for other pop stars like Korean Song Joong-ki. Therefore, it refers to any very popular guy among Chinese women today.

    Example:

    A: 宋仲基要来深圳开见面会，门票一千多还一下就抢完了。

    Sòngzhōngjī yào lái shēnzhèn kāi jiànmiànhuì, ménpiào yīqiānduō hái yīxià jìu qiǎng wán le。

    Song Joong-ki will meet fans in Shenzhen soon. The tickets, at more than 1,000 yuan each, sold out quickly.

    B: 他什么时候成了国民老公啦？

    Tā shénme shíhòu chéng le guómín lǎogōng la?

    When did he become so popular?

    A: 因为电视剧《太阳的后裔》啊。

    Yīnwèi diànshìjù 《tàiyáng de hòuyī》 a。

    After the TV series “Descendants of the Sun” was aired.