 Wang Pu's grandfather Wang Kan (王堪) was a county magistrate, but his father Wang Cong (王聰) was not listed with any offices.His biography in the "New Book of Tang" indicated that his own geographic origin had been lost to history.After Wang Pu passed the imperial examinations in the "Jinshi" (進士) class, he entered governmental service and eventually became "Libu Yuanwailang" (禮部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of rites (禮部, "Libu"), as well as an editor of the imperial histories.