Wang Gen, family name Zi (), was a ruler of Predynastic Shang, succeeding his brother Wang Hai. His existence is reflected in oracle bone inscriptions. He was succeeded by Shang Jia, Wang Hai's son.
Names Wang Gen's name is written as ⿰弓亙 or 亙 in oracle bone inscriptions.
Transmitted texts such as the Bamboo Annals list Wang Gen's name as Wang Heng (), which is not attested in oracle bone inscriptions at all. Similar scribal errors can be seen with Wang Hai. Heng 恆 has been used in some transcriptions of Oracle Bones, possibly to align with later accounts, but this does not reflect Wang Gen's identity.
Posthumous accounts In Oracle bone inscriptions Wang Gen is mentioned in scant few oracle bones, much unlike his brother, Wang Hai. Some examples include a you sacrifice甲骨文合集 Heji 14764.3 and debates as to Wang Gen's trustworthiness.英國所藏甲骨01177正.3 Another text involves whether the sun will come out, but the last character is indecipherable.甲骨文合集 Heji 14760: 貞王恆晹X
Examples include: 貞侑于王亙
Test: Should we do a you sacrifice for Wang Gen?
貞王亙易孚
Test: Has Wang Gen become trustworthy? or Could Wang Gen bestow trustworthiness upon us?
In the Bamboo Annals In the Bamboo Annals, Wang Gen is mentioned as having been consulted by his brother Wang Hai regarding what to do with the overproduction of cattle in Shang. In the end, they decide to take the cattle to the neighbouring tribe of the Youyin (modern-day Yi County, Hebei), which would result in Wang Hai's assassination as a result of a love quarrel.《今本竹書紀年·夏紀·帝芒》:「三十三年，商侯遷於殷。」 He is said to have reigned from the 12th year of Xie of Xia's reign until the 16th year.今本竹書紀年
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