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Text: Miao Zhiheng
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introduction
There are many people who know the idiom of the class to get an axe, but for Lu Ban among them, we often only know a little scratch.
Lu Ban's most famous identity is the ancestor of the craftsman, and the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering have always regarded Lu Ban's skills as a guideline, but how a craftsman can leave a name for thousands of years in the ancient times of heavy literary style is a puzzling question.
(Banmen Axe)
The glory of the working people is undoubted, but it is also an indisputable fact that the status of ancient craftsmen was low. For example, Ku Ding in Ku Ding Jie Niu did not even leave his name, Ku is the title of the chef position, and the miraculous chef only left his own form. But the craftsman Luban not only has many stories circulating, but even has his own works widely spread to the world.
Lu Ban's identity is obviously not just a craftsman, his identity has a lot of secrets, all of which have to be found from his book "Lu Ban Book". When a masterpiece of engineering was re-focused, people found that "Lu Ban Book" actually told more about miscellaneous science and even yin and yang, so will Lu Ban's hidden identity be a yin and yang family?
Why does Lu Ban have a surprisingly high reputation in the craftsman world? What are the records in the Book of Lu Ban? Is Lu Ban really a hidden yin and yang family?
(Luban)
1. Lu Banqi
Lu Ban is actually not surnamed Lu, he is just a native of Lu. Speaking of Lu Ban, he is actually a nobleman, because his surname is the surname of Zhou Guoguo, and even Lu Ban's ancestors are likely to be princes and nobles, and his clan is a public loser. Luban was originally known as the Gongyi class, and later became famous among the vassal states and was called "Luban", which means the craftsman class of the Lu country, and the naming logic is similar to that of Wei Ying.
Under normal circumstances, people will be called by their national surnames abroad, for example, Gongsun Ying, who defended the country, was called Wei Ying, because he changed the law in the Qin State, and the people of Lu State would not directly call Lu Ban, and the Gongyi class was known to the world because of the siege ladder made by the Chu State, and then people found out that this person was born in the Lu State.
(Luban)
He was already in his fifties when Lu Ban made war weapons for the Chu state in 450 BC, but Lu Ban's ingenuity still shocked the world.
For example, the siege weapon cloud ladder and the water war weapon hook in the cold weapon era were all inventions of Lu Ban at that time, so Mozi did not hesitate to walk thousands of miles to Chu to confront Lu Ban to avoid an attack and catastrophe.
(Ladder)
In fact, Lu Ban's reputation as a craftsman and saint has little to do with the war weapons he makes, and his great creativity is reflected in the transformation and utilization of daily tools.
The carpenter regarded Lu Ban as his ancestor because he made great contributions to the carpentry industry, and the basic carpentry tools were basically created by Lu Ban. For example, the curved ruler of the measuring instrument is called the Luban ruler, and other tools such as the ink fountain for elastic thread and the planing saw for cutting wood were also invented by Luban.
Carpentry equipment greatly improved the labor efficiency of carpenters, and since then, although the craftsman has a low status, his income is stable, and it is the work of craftsmen in ancient times. In honor of Luban, later generations of craftsmen revered him as the ancestor of civil engineering and architecture.
(Luban)
In addition to the professional tools of craftsmen, it is said that Luban also invented many tools of life to benefit the ancient working people. For example, the stone mill that can grind grain into flour, as well as the earliest stone carving technology and umbrellas to protect from the wind and rain, are all said to have been made by Luban. In addition, the digging technology of deep-water wells in mountainous areas and the complex Luban lock are also the creations of Luban.
Lu Ban's invention greatly improved the life experience of ancient people, which is also the true secret of his reputation as a craftsman. In fact, in addition to the word of mouth of the people, Lu Ban also has a legendary masterpiece that has been circulated in the world, which is the basis of his fame among non-commissioned officers and literati.
(Word of mouth)
2. The Book of Ancestors
Although craftsmen were lowly in ancient times, the craftsman industry had its own set of systematic inheritance. For example, ordinary craftsmen can only learn Xi basic wood scriptures, and they can go to work after learning Xi three years, while craftsmen can learn Xi Qishu "Luban Book", and they can master some advanced techniques in Xi six years.
The Book of Luban is still circulating among the old craftsmen, and it is said that it was written by the craftsman saint Lu Ban himself.
The book is divided into two volumes, the first volume has a little exquisite carpentry techniques, and the other is mainly Taoism; the second volume of the Luban Book records the medical techniques and some Taoist solutions that seem strange now, mostly in the form of spells and talismans, but there is no specific cultivation method.
(The Book of Luban)
In ancient times, the Book of Luban was usually preserved and taught by high-level craftsmen, but the conditions of practice recorded in it are surprising. Because the beginning of the book clearly records that those who Xi the "Book of Luban" will encounter one of "widows, widows, orphans, loneliness, and disabilities", so this strange book even has the nickname of "Missing a Door".
The large description of Taoism and proverbs in the book of Patriarch Qi cannot help but make people doubt its relevance to craftsmen, in fact, this book may not really be written by Patriarch Luban specifically for craftsmen, but a collection of Luban's academic tendencies.
(Proverb)
3. Hide your identity
Judging from the content of the "Book of Luban", the knowledge involved in it involves the five elements of gossip, feng shui spells and other foreign arts, and these knowledge are the closest to the Yin and Yang family among the hundred families of the Warring States Period.
If Lu Ban wants to make a difference in the contention of a hundred schools, then Lu Ban is likely to be the identity of the Yin and Yang family, and there has never been a school of background craftsman skills.
(Hundreds of schools of thought)
The Onmyoism was one of the schools of thought in the Warring States period, and this school tended to Taoism to do nothing, so it rarely entered the WTO. The Yin and Yang family learned more about the five elements of Feng Shui, which was the predecessor of Taoism in later generations. There are many records and creations of various spells and proverbs in the Yin and Yang family, and only if Lu Ban respects the Yin and Yang family, then it is possible for him to leave various records about Taoism and magic in the "Book of Lu Ban".
Although there are many techniques circulating in the Luban book, there is no clear usage except for medical techniques, which is also in line with the tradition of ancient laws that are not lightly transmitted. Although Lu Ban respected the Yin-Yang Family, he still wanted to do something for the craftsmen of the world, so he left some blank spells and curses to protect the artisan group, and at the same time did not let the craftsmen steal the specific techniques of the Yin-Yang Family.
(Onmyojia)
epilogue
Regardless of whether Master Lu Ban is a student of the Yin and Yang family, he has made great contributions to the improvement of the craftsman industry and labor efficiency, and is a symbol and representative of the wisdom of the ancient working people!
Resources:
QI Lianxiu. "On the Legend of Luban of the Ethnic Groups of the Continent." Studies in Ethnic Literature 2 (1984): 12.
Liu Shouhua.Science Fantasy in Ancient Chinese Folk Tales——The Ancient and Modern Evolution of the Story of Luban Making Wooden Birds[J].Journal of Central China Normal University:Humanities and Social Sciences, 1997(3):6.)