Lu Ban
Lu Ban (c. 507–444 BC) was an ancient Chinese master carpenter, architect, structural engineer and inventor during the Spring and Autumn period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. He is revered as the Chinese Deity (Patron) of builders and contractors.
Also recorded as Ban Lu · Loo Pun · Loo-pan · Lo Pan
Lu Ban

Rolfmueller · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Born
- 507.
- Died
- 444.
- Nationality
- Lu.
- Occupation
- architect, engineer and philosopher.
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Documentary summary
Lu Ban (c. 507–444 BC) was an ancient Chinese master carpenter, architect, structural engineer and inventor during the Spring and Autumn period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. He is revered as the Chinese Deity (Patron) of builders and contractors.
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Note VALÉORINE
Lu Ban worked as architect, engineer and philosopher and was Lu. Born in 507. Lu Ban died in 444.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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technical hold · checked 25 September 2026
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
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Authority files
gnd · 1209226790 · wikidata · Q574184 · wikipedia · Lu Ban
In this article
Life
Life
Lu Ban was born in the state of Lu; a few sources claim he was born further to the west, in Dunhuang, to a family of carpenters or artisans during the Spring and Autumn period of the Zhou dynasty. His original name was Gongshu Yizhi. He was also referred to as Gongshu Ban or Pan. He was supposed to have been an indifferent pupil until his love of learning was kindled by the scholar Zi Xia. He later learned woodworking from Bao Laodong. The great demand for his work supposedly compelled him to invent or improve several carpenter's tools—the saw, the square, the planer, the drill, the shovel, and an ink marking tool—to complete his many projects more quickly. His wife was also credited with inventing the umbrella in order to permit him to work in inclement weather.
Inventions
Inventions
According to tradition, he was responsible for several inventions: Cloud ladder—a mobile, counterweighted siege ladder. Grappling hooks and ram—implements for naval warfare. Wooden bird—a non-powered, flying, wooden bird which could stay in the air for three days. It has been suggested to be a prototype of a kite. The saw—legend has it that when Lu Ban was grabbing hold of tree trunks in order to climb a steep slope while gathering firewood, his hand was cut by a leaf with spiny texture. He then realized that he could turn the leaf's texture into a more efficient tool for tree-cutting, namely the saw. The Lu Ban lock— a toy made of six interlocking wooden sticks using mortise techniques. Other inventions were also attributed to him, such as a lifting implement to assist with burial, a wooden horse carriage and coachman, a pedal-powered cycle, and other woodworking mentioned in various texts, which thereafter led Lu Ban to be acknowledged as a master craftsman: The Book of Lineages (Shiben), written c. the 3rd century BC. The Tales of the Marvelous (述異記), by Ren Fang, written c. the 5th century AD. The Records of Origin on Things and Affairs (事物紀原), by Gao Cheng, written c. the 11th century. The Origin on Things (物原), by Luo Qi, written c. the 15th century. The Treatise of Lu Ban (魯班經), attributed to Lu Ban, written in the 13th, 14th, or 15th century.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
444
Lu Ban died.
507
Lu Ban born.
Legacy
Lu Ban is revered as the god of carpentry and masonry in Chinese folk religion. His personality is assumed by the master carpenter involved in the construction of houses among the Kam people. He is sometimes counted among the Five Kings of the Water Immortals, Taoist water gods invoked by sailors for protection while carrying out journeys. He is referenced in a number of Chinese idioms. The Chinese equivalent of "teaching one's grandmother to suck eggs" is to "brandish one's axe at Lu Ban's door" (班门弄斧). His cultural companion is the stone worker Wang Er, who lived around the same time. The Lu Ban Ruler (魯班尺) is used in feng shui practices. The modern artist Shi Lu has claimed that Lu Ban was an alias of his contemporary Confucius, but this seems dubious.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q574184: Lu Ban
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Lu Ban”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1209226790, Lü, Ban.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Shanghai Digital Century Network. Cultural China.
- 2.Youyang Zazu, Vol. XXIV.
- 3.Mozi, Ch. 49 & 50.
- 4.Mozi, Ch. 50, Para. 1.
- 5.Mozi, Ch. 49, Para. 20.
- 6.Mozi, Ch. 49, Para. 21.
- 7.Guo, Li. Games & Play in Chinese & Sinophone Cultures. University of Washington Press. 6. 2024. 9780295752402.
- 8.Liji, Ch. 4.
- 9.Lunheng, Ch. 85, by Wang Chong (b. 27).
- 10.Was this the world's first-ever cycle?. metro.co.uk. 24 March 2010.
- 11.Kong, Derong. Architecture and Movement: The Dynamic Experience of Buildings and Landscapes. Routledge. 229. 2015. 9781317655305.
- 12.Huang, A-yu. 人文研究期刊 [Rénwén Yánjiū Qīkān, Humanities Periodical], No. 8. 81–112. December 2010.
- 13.harvp Needham 1994 p=20
- 14.Colville, Alex. Lu Ban, China's inventor of everything. The China Culture Project. 2020-10-19.
- 15.The Redbrick Team. The Magic Ruler. REDBRICK MORTGAGE ADVISORY.
- 16.Hawks, Shelley Drake. Art in Turmoil: The Chinese Cultural Revolution, 1966–76. UBC Press. 83. 2010. 9789888028641.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 7
- Du, Shiran. Biographies of Ancient Chinese Scientists Series One. Kexue Chubanshe. 22–25. 1992. 7-03-002926-7.
- Le Chevoir, Patrick. L'Unite de Mesure de Lu Ban (魯班尺): Une Unité de Mesure Conceptuelle au Service des Statuaires d'Yilan (宜蘭市) à Taiwan. Anthroepotes. III. 1. 2–14. 1998.
- Li, Shaoyuan. Stories of Chinese Scientist and Inventors. Jindun Publishing House. 1–8. 1996. 7-5082-0168-X.
- Needham, Joseph. The Shorter Science and Civilization of China. Cambridge University Press. 4. 1994. 9780521329958.
- Wang, Fu. Records of Lu Ban: China's Earliest Inventor: Lu Ban. Zhongguo Kexue Jishu Chubanshe. 3–6. 1994. 7-5046-1676-1.
- Yan, Hong-sen. Reconstruction Designs of Lost Ancient Chinese Machinery. Springer. §8.1: "Lu Ban the Man". 2007. 9781402064609.
- Yu, Xuecai. Huazhong Architecture Bimonthly. May 2004.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1209226790, Lü, Ban.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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