Old Book of Tang
It is not known when Wang Shi was born. His biographies in the official histories of Tang Dynasty — the "Old Book of Tang" and the "New Book of Tang" — differ as to who his father was, with the "Old Book of Tang" indicating that his father was the chancellor Wang Bo and the "New Book of Tang" indicating that his father was Wang Bo's brother Wang Qi (), who also had a lengthy career as an imperial official.