Wang Mian, a native of Zhuji at the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, was born in poverty because of his father's early death. He lived alone with his mother and was extremely filial. All the delicious food is wrapped in lotus leaves and sent home to his mother. I have been herding cattle for a living since I was a child. Although he didn't continue to go to school, he was born smart, studious, well-read and talented. One day after the rain, I looked at the lotus flower and saw that it was exquisite and smart, so I had the idea of learning to paint. People are very smart, and self-taught paintings are very vivid. Villagers and neighbors rushed to buy. Wang Mian also has the ability to support his family.

Wang Mian is aloof, not seeking fame and making friends. He studied behind closed doors all day, imitated Qu Yuan's clothes, and took his mother everywhere, regardless of other people's comments. Some dignitaries heard of his reputation and wanted to meet him, so he avoided his hometown. Zhu Yuanzhang praised his visit, while Wang Mian talked about convincing people with righteousness and stabilizing the world. Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply impressed. After winning the world, he came to ask Wang Mian to be an official, but Wang Mian fled to the mountains early and lived in seclusion.

Wang Mian has his own views on stereotyped writing. He said: this method is not well formulated. In the future, since scholars have this way to honor themselves, they all look down on the source of the writing.

Wang Mian in the book is diligent and intelligent, self-taught, meticulous in astronomy and geography, and extremely filial. When I was a child, I used lotus leaves to wrap food for my mother. I took care of my mother many times later. Seeing the refugees from other places, I miss my mother very much and go home at once. His dying mother doesn't want him to be an official, but he strictly abides by it. In ancient times, filial piety was the best virtue. The author expresses this point to show that Wang Mian's noble morality is a supplement to Wang Mian's image.

Wang Mian is admired by his neighbors, and dignitaries are willing to make friends with him, but Wang Mian doesn't like the oppression of the people by officials at ordinary times, and he doesn't want to associate with them, and even runs away for it. He is a great world master. He once instructed Zhu Yuanzhang to achieve the world, but he did not covet fame and fortune and lived in seclusion. Belonging to an intellectual image with unlimited ability, unlimited morality and unlimited realm, he has a free and independent personality and self-reliance ability, and is the benchmark and example of intellectuals shaped by the author.

Wang Mian is a real person in history, but in The Scholars, the author made artistic processing and put his perfect intellectual image on Wang Mian. With Wang Mian indifferent to fame and fortune, he despised the greatness of fame and fortune, showing the smallness of all kinds of people and their infatuation with fame and fortune. The poet Li Bai said, "Oh, how can I solemnly bow and scrape to those people with high status and important positions?" They will never be seen with an honest face. " It is also the author's own pride. In the author's view, emphasizing the source of literary works is the correct approach of intellectuals. By creating such an image, the author expressed his requirements for intellectuals.