Pre-Qin 先秦 Lu Ban 鲁班

鲁班，姓公输，名般。鲁国人(都城山东曲阜，故里山东滕州)，"般"和"班"同音，古时通用，故人们常称他为鲁班。生活在春秋末期到战国初期，出身于世代工匠的家庭，从小就跟随家里人参加过许多土木建筑工程劳动，逐渐掌握了生产劳动的技能，积累了丰富的实践经验。鲁班是我国古代的一位出色的发明家，两千多年以来，他的名字和有关他的故事，一直在广大人民群众中流传。我国的土木工匠们都尊称他为祖师。
Lu Ban, surname Gongshu, given name Ban, was born in the State of Lu (now Tengzhou, Shandong province, the capital being Qufu city of Shandong province). Lu Ban's given name uses a character 般 (ban) that in ancient times was often interchanged with another character班 (ban). He lived during the late Spring-and-Autumn Period and the early Warring States Period of Chinese history. Born into a family of carpenters, he did a lot of work concerning civil engineering and architecture from a young age, gaining much practical experience. Within these disciplines revered as a master, Lu Ban is one of the most outstanding inventors of ancient China. His name and related stories have been circulated among the public. He is lauded as the founder by the following carpenters.