His courtesy name was Shengzhi, and he was known as the Stone Mountain Hermit. He was from Qimen, Anhui. In his youth, he studied for the imperial examinations but repeatedly failed. Due to his mother's illness, he delved into medical studies and eventually abandoned Confucian learning to pursue medicine. His father, Wang Wei, courtesy name Gongwang, was a renowned local physician with numerous works, including Principles of Medicine in 13 volumes (1519), Excerpts from Reading the Suwen in 3 volumes with 1 supplementary volume (1519), Overview of Medical Influences (1519), Selections on Cold-Damage Diseases in 8 volumes, Revised and Supplemented Maijue Corrections in 2 volumes (1523), External Medicine Principles in 8 volumes (1513), Analysis of Smallpox Theory in 2 volumes (1531), Questions and Answers on Acupuncture and Moxibustion in 3 volumes (1532). He also edited Seeking the Teacher's Intentions by Dai Yuanli. His life's medical experiences were compiled by his disciple Chen Jue (courtesy name Weiyi) into Stone Mountain Medical Cases in 4 volumes (1519). Wang also compiled Compendium of Materia Medica in 20 volumes, which has been lost.

Wang followed the Neijing and Nan Jing, emphasizing the regulation and supplementation of qi and blood in treatment, with a particular focus on regulating qi.

In surgical treatment, he emphasized that "surgery must be based on internal medicine, understanding the internal to seek the external," advocating for the supplementation of original qi as primary, valuing elimination, and cautioning against excessive intervention, which had a significant influence on the development of surgery.

In acupuncture and moxibustion, he based his practice on the Su and Nan, believing that acupuncture could treat excess but not deficiency, and that moxibustion could supplement but not drain, while acupuncture could drain but not supplement.