 Shi Xie was born in Guangxin Commandery (廣信郡), Jiao Province, which is in present-day Cangwu County, Guangxi, but his ancestral home was around present-day Tai'an, Shandong.His ancestors moved to Jiao Province when Wang Mang usurped the throne and established the Xin dynasty (9–23) with himself as its emperor.Shi Xie's father, Shi Ci (士賜), served as the Administrator of Rinan Commandery (日南郡) during the reign of Emperor Huan () of the Eastern Han dynasty.