He was born in Qin, Shanxi province, China. Wen became regarded as the first truly distinctive writer of "ci", the song-verse style of poetry that dominated Chinese poetry during much of the late Tang dynasty and the Song dynasty. Most of his poems are "boudoir"-style verses that described the opulent furnishings and gardens of solitary women and their hidden desires. This style of poetry was commonly used for romantic communications between men and women in the entertainment districts of the Chinese capital Chang'an during the Tang dynasty.