[4] Her grandfather Wen Mingqin (文明钦) was a magistrate in Guangxi during the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911).

[1] In February 1936, her father was removed from office, Wen returned to Beijing, studying at Furen School (辅仁中学).

[8] During the Cultural Revolution, her husband Xiao Qian was labeled as a "rightist" by the Communist government, they were sent to the May Seventh Cadre Schools to work.

[1] From 1990 to 1994, Wen and her husband Xiao Qian spent four years translating James Joyce's notable novel Ulysses into Chinese.

[2][5][10] Wen married a Chinese translator and author Xiao Qian, the couple has two sons and a daughter.