Nicknamed "Sparrow Guo" (郭雀兒) after a sparrow-shaped tattoo on his neck,[5] he rose to a high position in the Later Han as an assistant military commissioner.

When Guo Wei was born in 904 in Yaoshan (堯山; in modern Longyao County, Hebei), the Tang dynasty had disintegrated into regions controlled by warlords fighting amongst one another.

[8] He was also fond of drinking and gambling, and frequently participated in brawl; his wife Lady Chai often advised him not to indulge in these activities.

[11][12] In 927, the Later Tang emperor Li Siyuan personally led an army to suppress Zhu Shouyin's rebellion.

Guo Wei, then under the leadership of general Shi Jingtang, was among the first soldiers scaling the defensive wall of Xun (in modern Henan).