Wáng Shífǔ 王實甫 (ca. 1260–ca. 1324; CBDB id 690977), zì Déxìn 德信. A native of Dàdū 大都 (modern Beijing). He is the author of Xīxiāng Jì 西廂記 (KR4k0039), universally regarded as the masterpiece of Yuan zájù 雜劇. CBDB records death year 1324 without birth year; his active period overlaps with that of Guān Hànqīng 關漢卿.
About fourteen plays are attributed to Wang Shifu, of which three survive complete: Xīxiāng Jì 西廂記, Lì hún jì 麗春堂 (Spring Hall of Beauty), and Pò yáoqín 破窯記 (Story of the Broken Kiln). Xīxiāng Jì alone has guaranteed his enduring fame; its innovative five-book structure, twenty-act length, and celebrated maid character Hóngniáng 紅娘 set it apart from standard four-act zájù convention. According to one tradition, Wáng Shífǔ died while composing the play and Guān Hànqīng completed the final section, though this attribution is disputed.