王鳴盛字鳳喈，一字禮堂，號西莊，晚號西沚居士，清江蘇嘉定（今上海市嘉定縣）人。生於康熙六十一年（西元1722），卒於嘉慶二年（西元1797），享年七十六。是乾嘉時期一位好學不倦，勤於筆耕，精研經史的學者。與趙甌北、錢大昕同為乾嘉時期有名的三大史學家。王鳴盛年輕時以治理經學為主，《尚書後案》為其經學代表作。四十二歲因母喪遂辭官歸田，之後轉向考據史學，一部《十七史商榷》為其史學的代表作。王鳴盛考據史學以補前代學術未校十七史的空白，是為後人治史開闢一條道路。又王鳴盛以治經方法來考證史學，提出的版本目錄校勘決定了他的史學面貌，也為以後的二十四史校正工作奠下基礎。另外在典章制度、輿地沿革、音韻訓詁、職官演變、經史目錄、歷史事件、人物評論等，也是《商榷》考證史實的一項成績。全書一百卷，王鳴盛雖以札記體著作，把同類的條文集中在一起，但全書貫串了審事蹟之虛實，辨紀傳之異同的考證功夫，澄清了一些史實，頗具有參考價值。

Wang Ming-Sheng, alias Feng-Jie or Li-Tang or Hsi Chuang, also known as Hsi Chih at old age, a resident of Jiading, Jiangsu Province (Shanghai city) at Ching Dynasty. He was born in 1722 and died in 1797 at age 76. He was a studious, diligent writer and scholar good at the research of classics and history during the period of Emperor Chien Lung and Chia Ching. He and Chao O-Pei, Chien Ta-Hsin are three famous historians of the Chien Chia period, Ching Dynasty. Wang Ming-Sheng mainly focused on the study of classics on his young years and “Shangshu Houan” was his representative work of classics study. He resigned to returned home at age 42 when his mother passed away and then turned to study the textual research of history. “Discussion and Consideration for 17 Books of History” was his representative work on history study. Wang has done the textual research of history to make up the gap on the 17 Books of History that has not been noted on academic way, which opened up a way for those who devoted on historical study later on. Wang has also applied the method on his study on classics to research the historical study, the version, bibliography and notes he submitted not only helped to decide his historical study facet but also laid a foundation for the Notes on The 24 books of History. In addition, on the law and systems, lands history, rhyme and scholium, evolution of the office positions, bibliography of the classics and history, historical events, critics of personages, etc., which were one of the achievements on textual research of the historical fact. This book contains total 100 volumes, though Wang Ming-Sheng has written this book in notes taking style to put the similar entries together, however, the whole book is capable of displaying his hard working on textual research of the truth of events and tell the difference of the historical fact and to clarify the historical facts for future reference.